Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF
by East US Coaster
Summary: Runes, twins, mulligan, mysteries, and twists! The rabbit hole starts with a Princeton acceptance letter but the twisting won't stop there. Blood will be bled to fuel magic's need. Darkness is required for light to be the best. All stories have a beginning. Nearly everything about where this was chosen to start is to deceive you into making incorrect assumptions. Enjoy the twists.
1. Chapter 1

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

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Chapter 1

I thumped up the stairs, and barreled past my older brother. I ignored his call out to me, and only just barely stopped myself from slamming my bedroom door. I knew that it wouldn't go well, and I needed some privacy. I was seventeen, not seven, and boys didn't cry. Getting my door thankfully locked, prior to my brother being able to force his way in, and find out what all the yelling downstairs had been about, was the first thing that went well today. It actually might have been the second, but as the first caused me to lose it…. Well let's count this one, as the first.

Dropping the letter on my desk, I threw myself on my bed, and let my pillow soak up the wetness on my face that weren't tears. I ignored the knocking on my bedroom door, and tried to stop my sniffling. Figuring if he didn't hear me, he would go away.

"Look Mathew I know you're awake, you just went in there. I heard my name several times mentioned in the spat you had downstairs with Mom, and Dad. So I have a right to know what you were throwing a hissy fit about, now. So stop being a baby girl, and let me in. I know you're crying." He was so uplifting in how he conversed with me.

I just stopped myself from throwing the lamp at the door, and held in my frustration. Nothing good would come of it, and Michael, like my parents, will never acknowledge that it was his fault. I tried to breathe as quietly as possible. I must not give any reason he could use, to force getting into the room. Breathing as calmly, and quietly as I could, I forced myself to not react to the taunting. To wait for him to get bored, and question my parents, on how he had screwed up my life, again.

I had been nervous, exited, and relieved when my Princeton letter had arrived this morning. Initially, while working up the courage to open the letter, I was hopeful that I had got in, like my best friend and crush, had. Diane had been accepted nearly two weeks ago. Unfortunately, I got accepted. If I'd been rejected the last forty minutes of hell wouldn't have happened. Of course I would have been upset, but not as badly as I was now. Once more I wished I was in a different family. Or at least one that either had similar aged siblings or none. Due to my brother being nine years older I have the worst of both worlds, I am an only child, and I have to share with a selfish brat, who is my parents' favorite.

Nearly ten years ago, my parents in their hopes to light a fire beneath my brother told him they would pay for Princeton, if he got accepted. I of course greedily got them to agree the same thing for me. The dream was shared with Diane, our next door neighbor, and my best friend. We pushed ourselves so we would both go. She was an only child, and so we joked we were siblings, as my brother didn't count. Puberty hit, and I no longer thought of Diane as a sibling, but haven't yet managed to convince Diane of that. She just missed valedictorian, and was given a partial scholarship grant with her acceptance. Mine didn't include any financial help. However, the promise ten years ago had not mentioned the need for that.

Eight years ago Michael got a decline from Princeton, and went to our local university, and struck out. About eighteen months ago, having done nothing but annoy me for the intervening years, he got accepted by a private college. Of course, our parents happy he was going to get a degree, agreed to pay for him. Thus when I showed them my acceptance letter they let me know I would be going to the local uni' as they couldn't pay for Princeton. My dead beat older brother was using my college money. My parents had not bothered saving more, as they hadn't needed to use any of the first lot, eight years ago.

I hugged my pillow, getting the wetness from my face that were not tears, and sniffled. Crying wouldn't do any good. I would be labeled a girl and a child. I wished I was anywhere but here. Anyone but myself. Where I wouldn't be ridiculed for feelings that were justified due to unfairness. My brother had finally left, and I needed something to distract myself. I couldn't go out, as I doubted I could keep from letting Diane know, and ruining her day. I needed something to distract me from getting hungry, because I was not spending any time around the family.

Getting off my bed I crossed to my bookshelf. It was stuffed to the gills with paperback science fiction, and fantasy novels. The shelf at eye level in addition to books had a few odds and ends that were special to me. A replica of the 1919 .38 Smith & Wesson M&P used by military, and police officers in World War II. A fake reminder of the one my great-grandfather, I never knew had carried. A crushed and used 357 magnum bullet, and a silver plated athame in a leather arm holster that I had made from salvaged pieces of leather, in crafts last year. Though, like all the things in my life that were either fake, crushed, used or a combination of the three, the blade did have a sharp edge. Due to this it could be useful too. After rolling, and tucking up the left sleeve of my long sleeved, and dark green shirt to my shoulder, I strapped the holster to my scared left arm. Now with the holster attached to the lower part of my limb, I practiced drawing the blade with my right hand, and returning it.

The blade easily slid across the multi-aged scars of my arm. I barely pressed, as I wouldn't cut deep outside the bathroom. There is something mesmerizing of watching the blood well up, in randomly spaced beads along the angry line of a new shallow cut. Each bead grows to a different fixed size then breaks its attachment to itself. The criss-cross patterns build layre over layre like a runic binding spell. The new patterns are alive, hypnotic and magical. The new bright reds fading into the older pale purples of death beneath. After getting bored of the shallow scratches, and knowing I need to find something else, I chose to re-read my Harry Potter books.

It was the middle of the night, and thus a new day, and I was into book five. They had descended into the Ministry after their thestral flight, and my eyes were bleary. I had only carefully left the room twice to use the bathroom, and ignored all requests from the other lodgers in this house. They sure weren't my family. I would take being any of Harry's friends fighting for my life from death eaters, over those poor excuses of humanity.

I'd obviously slipped asleep as I was disoriented, and I must have turned the lamp off, and fallen off my bed. For it was fairly dark, and I was on the cold stone floor. Huh, my bedroom is carpeted. Pushing myself up, I confirmed that it was hard cold stone that my hands pushed against. It was too large to be my room. It was also circular with rows of stone seats that seemed oversized in descending circular rings. There were dim flickering lights around the periphery of the room that enabled me to see the steps, and seats that had moving partial, and full shadows sliding across them. It was like a theatre in the round, complete with a raised dais or extremely small stage in the middle with a stone framed, black curtain?

Fine I was obviously asleep, and thinking I was in the veil of death room. I wouldn't have thought the seats would be so large. They must be awkward to sit on. Deciding to pinch my arm, and prove I was asleep I noticed my hair was really long. It was level with the elbow of my left arm, which was hanging at my side. I also noticed my bare legs, followed by the fact I was wearing a skirt. Wow this was one really weird dream. I involuntarily swung my left arm away as the pinch had hurt, and some of my hair swung around my left shoulder. Huh, I'd never have thought myself with this color. I mean if I was going to give myself red hair in a dream, I would do the typical one. Complete with green eyes, and the freckles on the face that is considered when a red head is mentioned. However, I had a mid-auburn chestnut brown with warm red-red highlights that looked good against my dark green shiny shirt.

I was woken from my musing realizing that it was cold in here too, causing me to shiver for both the cold, and from concern as to why I could feel a pinch when dreaming. I tried not to think about the other items, as they were disturbing, and that way led madness.

The door swung open across the room from me, and there was Harry, along with Neville, running in. They were tall. I thought Harry was supposed to be short?

"There's a little girl in here!" Neville said having noticed me.

I didn't have time to reply, or think over Neville's comment before I saw death eaters, complete with masks, and black cloaks, following them into the room. One was wearing a white mask. The other two wore silver masks. So two inner circle members, and one cannon fodder. Ducking behind one of the large seats I was now glad the seats were oversized. What attack spells did I remember? Why couldn't I have read through the actual confrontation in the department of mysteries, prior to falling asleep? I was fairly sure there were attack spells mentioned in that fight. Stupify, bombardo or something, depulso was one I think. What did it do? Thinking that I guess stupify was better than nothing I realized that I was not holding a wand. Great so I dream myself into the ministry battle without wand, and wearing a skirt. So obviously a nightmare, and not a dream.

The room quickly filled with more death eaters, and more of Harry's friends, and I kept ducking behind one stone seat then another, trying to find somewhere to hide. I was being absolutely useless in helping out. In fact, I was worse than useless, as often a shield was being cast between me, and a curse. So I was a hindrance, and hostage to be protected. I couldn't get to the exit. In fact, I found myself down by the steps that led to the arch.

Finally, members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived to help them out. Remus, and Sirius were protecting Harry, and myself. Thankfully the three of them seemed interested in catching up with each other, and too busy with the fight to query on who I was.

Deciding that my job was to stop Sirius falling through the veil, I followed him as he danced toward Bella, taunting her. As soon as I saw the red spell hurtling toward him, I yanked him away and backward. The spell missed, but I had not really paid attention to how small I was, so when he stumbled into me, I was unable to hold him up. I momentarily felt the coldest shiver running down my spine, and just realized it was the veil, as Sirius continued toppling onto me, and we fell through it.

I hit the floor. Then the back of my head hit, and I felt as if I had been bludgeoned from behind. Next Sirius landed on me, and all the air whooshed out of my lungs, and my chest provided agony to let me forget how bad my head felt. Thankfully he rolled off, and after checking around for enemies with wand outstretched he rose, and offering his offhand, he pulled me up.

Well I guess the veil of death is just a pass through in my dream, as we are on the other side of the stage. Except, hold on, where is everybody else? The room is empty bar the two of us.

"Hi little lady, I am Sirius Black, Harry's Godfather. I hope you know I am innocent. Who are you? Are you Hogwarts age? You look too young to even be in school, let alone be in fifth year."

"Umm…" thankfully my attempt at a reply was interrupted.

"Welcome Sirius, and Diane. Thanks to Diane's intervention Sirius, you entered the veil not cursed by any active magic. Thanks to that I can manipulate you both back into the time stream. You can't be yourselves though."

Whirling around I didn't see the being who had interrupted me.

"Where are you? Who are you?" Sirius queried while swinging his wand around.

"I can get both of you into Harry's year during the first year sorting ceremony. I will do this by creating a twin to one of Harry's year mates. So Diane, chose between Vincent Crabbe or Gregory Goyle. Sirius, chose between Harry or Neville Longbottom."

"What kind of options are those?" I yelled. "Will I be with Harry? Do I also go to the Dursleys'?" Sirius asked at the same time as me.

Suddenly I was alone. "Well I can give you one more option Diane, if you are comfortable in that body."

"Where's Sirius?" I was panicking now.

"Sirius chose to be Harry's twin. It was the most important thing to Sirius, to be able to be with him all the time."

Thinking about it, I figured that what was said did fit, with how I believed Sirius would chose. Then I recalled the query into whether I found my current body comfortable that was mentioned earlier. Panicking, and hoping it wasn't what I suddenly thought it might have meant, I discreetly checked my crotch. Unfortunately, I was unsure how I could be discrete when there is an invisible voyeur in the room with me. I did the best I could, and realized my fears. I discovered that this body was female. "Can I be Neville's twin?"

"Nope that won't work."

"So what is it Crabbe, Goyle or Bulstrode for me?" I asked annoyed.

"No it will be a twin to Crabbe, Goyle or a none muggleborn girl, in the same year as Harry. The third option will minimally impact your prior knowledge or intelligence, as it will chose the most appropriate fit. You had wished for a different life, one where you could express your feelings, and to quote your prior thoughts, you said you would be happy being any friend of Harry, able to fight death eaters. Harry has both male, and female friends, and you didn't make any qualification."

"Crabbe and Goyle are death eaters!" I exclaimed.

"They aren't death eaters in their first year, and as a twin of one, you can decide what you want to do. Thus you have the potential to become a friend of Harry. If you choose to be a twin to one of the boys you will of course not be as smart as you currently are, but I am sure Harry will be happy with any help offered. No matter what you were able to remember."

"I am only interested in girls! I am a boy!" I petulantly stated while thinking that even with my current intelligence I drew a blank on spell incantations. Worse I could only recall 'swish and flick' for wand movements. So I really only had one spell possibly known, if I was lucky. How much help could I be as a twin to Malfoy's muscle? One of them killed himself to fiendfyre if I was remembering correctly, and I didn't even know which one.

"Well for your first statement, I will translate it into what you mean, and say that is your choice no matter who you are. As to the second I can only say 'really'. You already checked that a moment ago. Then ask, as you are now an eleven year old girl, how much has it effected, and changed your current interest?"

As soon as I thought my decision I found myself sitting on a stool with cloth around my face. It was dark, and a bit musty. "SLYTHERIN!" the sorting hat yelled.

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2800+ words - reviews appreciated


	2. Chapter 2

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

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Chapter 2

As McGonagall removed the hat, I saw one table quietly clapping. Slowly looking the length of the table I saw an auburn haired girl finally wave at me. As I approached I saw beyond a second blond girl beside her, and then an open seat beside the blond. Both of the girls were now looking at me, as if they knew me. The blond indicated the seat beside her by barely moving her head, and I thankfully sat down. As much as the blond appeared reserved, the brunette girl seemed eager to be rowdy. In fact it was likely only due to the nails of the blond digging into one of her arms that she wasn't eagerly cheering.

"So all three of us, Slytherins." The brunette stated, and threw her left arm, the one not held viciously by blondie, along the table toward me. "All…

"Don't!" the other girl quietly hissed. "We agreed to not make a scene, Davis."

Drawing her arm back the brunette huffed. "But we're the three Mus….

"No!" The blond quietly but determinedly cut her off again. "Not now."

Pulling some of my hair forward I noticed it was blond. So Tracey Davis was the brunette, and she was friends with Daphne Greengrass. As they had already been sorted and I had the same blond hair, I must be a Greengrass with a first name starting with 'E' through 'Z'. Hopefully one of them will say it soon so I know my name. Having finished my sleuthing I realized the sorting had been going on without me paying attention to it, and was continuing behind me. Padma Patel had been sorted into Ravenclaw, and her twin Parvarti was heading for Gryffindor, so no changes there, but who knows what I had missed.

McGonagall looked at her list and then loudly declared. "Sally-Anne Perks," Now this would be interesting I actually always wondered which house she belonged to, and what she looked like. A rather timid looking girl with a page-boy style hair cut of mouse brown hair sat on the stool. Her eyes down cast on her Mary-Jane black shoes. Oh, obviously it was Hufflepuff for this wallflower I realized. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled just to prove me wrong, I was sure.

Charging toward her new table she yelled out 'Fay'. Oh, so this was the unknown friend of Fay Dunbar.

"Azalea Potter," McGonagall called out.

What! Had the universe turned into one where it was the girl-who-lived? I panicked.

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat called out, and all noise in the hall ceased.

As the hat was pulled from off her head we could see the shocked expression on her face. She didn't move. Instead she was staring at our table, as if we were the source of all evil. Either that or she was about to hurl, I've never seen skin go so white.

Taking pity I loudly started clapping. In the dead silence of the hall, it was extremely loud. Daphne hissed at me for the spectacle, but then Tracey did a cow girl "Yee Hah!" and joined in clapping, and finally some of the table clapped too. I heard a "Ride 'em hard, snake girls!" from the Gryffindor table. Likely from one of the twins, I figured.

I smiled at Azalea, and indicated the empty seat next to me. I don't think it was empty before, and there was a bit of bunching away from me on that side along the rest of the bench. Thanks to Tracey, Daphne had been unable to clear away on the other side from me. It would have been bad if I'd been an island at the Slytherin table. McGonagall whispered something to Potter, while gently pushing her toward me. Well I said I would be Harry's friend, and it would be easier if she were a girl, and in my house.

"Harry Potter," was the next name called out.

Wait! What! There are two of them! No of course, Sirius was obviously the boy-who-lived's twin sister. I was suddenly extremely thankful I hadn't chosen Crabbe or Goyle. Twin didn't always mean identical. By now Azalea had arrived, and I helped her sit down. She looked completely uncomfortable. I figured if she awoke like me, to the yell of her house from the hat then the discomfort was actually due to discovering herself a girl. That surprise would be a far greater reason for upset than the one of being sorted into a disliked house that most others were thinking to be the cause. Even though Sirius was rather anti-Slytherin, I think his discomfort was purely due to the gender swap.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The sorting hat yelled interrupting my wool gathering. Oh, and boy did he look pissed. Harry threw the hat on the ground, and actually stomped on it. Twisting his foot too. "Put me with my _sister_!" The word 'sister' was the scariest hissing speech I had ever heard used before. I would have to remember to tell him about hiding the whole talk to snakes thing. Still even in English the hissing speech was unpleasant, and if it were up to me I would put him in Slytherin. I would do whatever he wanted to avoid being subject to his ire. Thank the gods, I was not even known by him.

"That loyalty to your sister, is why I sorted you, where I did. It is your most defining characteristic. Thanks for the massage by the way, but I think they need me to sort the next child, and you are making a scene."

Wow two different houses, and the Potter twins had both silenced the hall. Harry kicked the hat, and headed toward us. "You!" I nearly had a heart attack as Harry pointed at me. I wanted to be anywhere else. "You clapped for my sister first. What's your name!"

Gods, I have no bloody idea what my name is! "Greengrass." I replied, hopefully, and though it was my intention to talk quietly, I am sure the whole hall now knew what I thought my last name was. If I was wrong this would be ugly. I guess I could pretend I gave a wrong one because he looked so scary. The reason all could hear, was not just due to me speaking louder than I had intended, due to the nervous situation I was in, but also because I don't think anyone was even breathing. I know I sure wasn't.

Then he was not looking at me so angrily. His tone, and posture shifted, and he actually smiled at me. "Will you be Azalea's friend, and watch her for me?"

I found myself captivated by his emerald eyes. It was as if by focusing on them the glasses were no longer there. The room no longer full. It was not so bad. I wasn't in the most embarrassing situation known to man. "I do. I mean, I will." I quickly corrected, and now wanted again to crawl under the table.

"Thank you Miss Greengrass." He held his arm out toward me. What the hell did he want now? I tried to think at him, my frantic desire, and hoped it would cause him to walk away to the Hufflepuff table. He just stood looking at me. Realizing he wouldn't leave until I humored him, I tentatively held his hand making sure it was vertical, and further, started the hand shake just to make sure he didn't have any other funny ideas. I had already let go before I think, he'd registered I had shook his hand. "No worries, Mr. Potter." I said, and smiled, hoping like mad he would leave. Thankfully he did.

"Oliver Rivers." Well I didn't have any clue who that is. I began seriously questioning if I had paid any attention while reading the books. A kid ran from between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables to McGonagall, with the kicked hat, from wherever it had ended up. The boy blocked my view of whoever was sitting on the stool, as McGonagall lowered the hat onto their head.

"Does Crabbe or Goyle have a sister?" Azalea whispered to me. What an odd question. Oh he's looking for me. I leaned over, and whispered back. "Don't worry Sirius, I'm me." Well not the best reply, but he hopefully understood.

"Diane?" He whispered back, and now I was confused. Oh that was the only name he had heard, and he thinks I was always female. Probably best not to fix him of that error. I whispered back "I don't know. I woke up when 'Slytherin' was called out during my sorting. Nearly pissed my pants when Harry asked for my name. As I don't know it."

Sirius started loudly laughing in a rather male way considering we were in public. "Hey Potter, share what one of the ice princess twins said that was so funny. Oh my name's Davis. I'm the pretty one of our group. The Three Musketeers." Tracey said leaning across both Daphne, and I. I heard Sirius muttering something about peeing, and panties. Oh no he was a skirt chaser, and I now knew I must ensure he doesn't mention part of what he thought I had said.

"Well she sure isn't the smart one." I replied jabbing her hard in the side that was unprotected, laying across the table in front of me, causing Tracey to retreat. "That would be me." Daphne interjected, then looking at me added. "She is obviously the embarrassing one. We had always wondered what she was to be."

"Nope, I am the smart one. You're the ice bi…" I suddenly found myself staring at my sister's wand. It was right between my eyes. I deliberately turned toward Sirius, trying to pretend I wasn't fazed by a wand pointed at me. In reality figuring it provided a means of escape without appearing to be running away with the tail between my legs. "So 'Miss Potter', did that prove my point?" I asked, in order to attack two people at once, and hopefully not be hexed by my new sister for my troubles. Sirius couldn't acknowledge the attack without owning up to the whole gender swap.

"Well I am confused." Sirius began then smirked, and I was worried he seemed far too happy about something. "Firstly, on actually what point you are proving. Secondly, with other noises around us, the title miss can easily be misheard as misses. So are you talking to yourself, Misses Potter? We all clearly heard you say, 'I do,' earlier, to my hunk of a brother."

"Sister for shame. Not only were you not given away by Father, but we swore between the three of us, and 'Tori, that the unlucky three would be bridesmaids to whomever of us caught the boy-who-lived."

"Not seeing an argument on being the smartest in that, sister." I replied needing to change the conversation, and not show any embarrassment. I would not hence forth be called the embarrassing one.

"What's with the yank accent!" Daphne hissed at me. Oh god, now I can't talk ever again.

Suddenly an odd string of words were thrown out loudly across the hall's diverse conversations, and food appeared on the tables. Phew, finally a distraction. Obviously the sorting was finished, and those odd words were the weird opening speech made by Dumbledore.

Even though everyone was now eating I noticed far too many looks coming my way. They were casual and often covert, especially from my table. The other three tables were rather blatant, often pointing too. The upshot though, I think I was getting nearly as much notice as the boy-who-lived, and Azalea. Nothing good can come of this. I didn't need to have actually grown up with a twin sister to know she was completely pissed with me over the spectacle I had caused too. She'd been worried about what Tracy might do, and I had blindsided her. If I could go back again, then next time, I wouldn't clap first.

I had been pushing the pieces of food around on my plate when Azalea next leaned in to whisper to me. "So who's 'Tori?"

"She's Astoria, ice bitch's younger sister." I quietly informed him, while pointing out my twin to him.

"So your sister too, then?" Sirius gently reminded me. "Oh, yes, thanks." I groaned out.

"How come you were at the D.O.M. earlier. You were much younger than the others." Sirius whispered and I could see Daphne wasn't happy with our constant whispering. Especially when I had done so while pointing toward her no doubt.

"Not now." I hissed back, really to give myself time to think up a story, but it was a fairly stupid time to be discussing the D.O.M. in front of the whole school. Someone could pick up something. Were there eaves dropping spells? If there were, and we continued whispering someone would use one. Thankfully he went back to his food. No that wasn't a reason to be thankful. I mean he wasn't as bad as Ron, but my god that wasn't a great endorsement. The mountain piled on his plate was enormous, and it was getting shoveled way too quickly.

I grabbed his arm stopping his fork impaling the next scoop. Leaning in toward his disgruntled face I whispered as quietly, but as angrily as I could in his ear. "Girl's don't eat like that!" Dropping his fork he looked around the table, and wouldn't you know he found a girl eating nearly as hungrily as he had been doing. His eyes might as well as yelled his disagreement at me with a single look. He then carefully returned to eating, ignoring me, but at least he was doing it a bit better.

I let my mind wander, and stopped really paying attention, hoping it would stop me being observed so intently. Yeah, right! It didn't work, but at least losing myself in my internal musing enabled me to partially ignore it, and spend some time working out the story I would give Sirius. The next thing I knew Daphne, Tracey, and Azalea were getting up from the table, and I sort of followed. There was an older girl in front of us, and an older boy wrapped up behind the first years. They likely were the fifth year prefects. I had missed their introductions though. I with the trio of girls, were sort of clumped in the middle. Malfoy was up front with his goons, and a simpering dark haired girl that was probably Pansy Parkinson. Behind us was another girl and two boys. They were likely Millicent Bulstrode, Zabini, and Nott.

The group left the hall, and the female prefect led us down the main stairs toward the dungeon levels of the school. I didn't really pay attention, though I had always told myself I would, if I had ever got to go to Hogwarts. I just had too many thoughts whirling around to worry. We stopped beside a blank piece of stone wall that looked the same as several other sections we'd previously passed.

"All right listen up, you need a password to enter the common room that is just beyond this wall. For this week it is 'purely cunning'. Do not write the password down, nor say it where anyone could overhear you." As she spoke her second sentence the wall slid open and we could see our new home. There was the glass panel expanse holding back the Great Lake, and I wondered if a stray curse had ever caused the dungeons to be flooded. On one side there was one fire place, with several occupied chairs already bunched up close to the fire. Obviously the upper years were trying to escape the cool damp chill that pervaded the room. Oh, we lucky first years had won the lottery of getting sorted into here.

"Right, gather round," the male prefect said, as the wall ominously slid shut, locking us in this glorious hell hole. "First rule of Slytherin, out there we do not argue, we do not disagree, and Greengrass we do not cause the spectacle you put on for us during the welcoming feast. So not even the first night, and you have already broken rule number one. What do you have to say for yourself Greengrass?" Once more I was pinned behind glaring eyes, but they weren't as scary as Potter's had been.

"You got milk, 'cause I got P'nut Potter." Somehow it had sounded like a better thing to say in my head. Dead silence met my response.

"Right… Okay second rule, any problem, and I do mean all, no matter how large or small the problem is, gets resolved in here or the snake pit. Rule three, outside of here, we refer to all of here, as the snake pit. This ensures no one but our Alumni, and us know we have a fully fitted active dueling room if someone accidentally hears one of you breaking rule one.

"Oh, and just so you know, Greengrass, you have detention for a month for breaking rule one, you are the prefects, and Head Girl's maid for the next month. For some reason during the first two or so years this punishment of being a maid appears far more effective against boys, but it evens out as a greater deterrent to older girls." The look he gave me as he raked his eyes up and down my body freaked me out. "There is likely nothing to clean tonight, but your uniform will be provided by tomorrow so you can keep on top of the mess that the house elves have been told to not touch. The house elves tasked with cleaning our house, don't like you Greengrass. I don't like you. I wonder if anyone likes you."

"Rule four, you will not get in trouble. This is the house of the cunning and ambitious, and so if you are caught by anyone doing anything that causes Slytherin trouble, we will ensure that you are made to see the error of your ways. Rule five, you are to perform at exceeds or better in all your course work. If you are having difficulty with one or more subjects it is your responsibility to find the solution. Whether that be paying galleons to older students for tutoring, or offering other favors." Once more he was looking at the four of us as if we were pieces of meat. Surely he couldn't be implying that? More likely he was trying to scare us. Though I kept trying to tell myself that was the case, I unfortunately still had to admit he was doing a damn good job of it.

The bad cop made way for the good cop to talk once more in this deliberate intimidating molding routine. The female prefect now stepped forward. "Behind me to the right the stairs going down lead to the girls dormitories. There are seven levels, and the lowest is for the first years. Only girls, or a boy in the provided maid's uniform, can pass the entrance. In the case of the latter, they can only make it down the first three levels.

"Across there are the stairs to the boys. Once again the lowest of the seven levels will be the first years' floor. There are six girls and five boys so there are two boys' dormitories for groups of two, and three of you, and three girls' dormitories for three pairs. Hold hands with your partner so the house elves know, which dormitory to drop your stuff into. The bed your trunk is at the end of will be your bed for the year, and there will be no swapping. The extra door on your floor will be your floors' bathroom." At the mention of seven levels, I suddenly was stuck trying to recall how many levels of hell there were in Dante's inferno. I was not happy in that the number seven seemed to be what I recalled.

I had to stifle a laugh seeing Malfoy practically pounce on his two goons, whereas Nott kept trying to not have his hand be held by Zabini. Tracey looked at me, and while grabbing Daphne's hand, she said to me. "Lily, you should probably share with your sister-in-law." I then felt Azalea grab my hand. Parkinson huffed and stepped over to Bulstrode, while eyeing Malfoy, as if it was his fault for not choosing her. "Great that worked well, now I will turn the room over to our head of house, Professor Snape." When the heck did he arrive, I startled.

"Every year I hope this to be the one that we don't have a maid taking the elves job right from the start. I am unfortunately, always disappointed. I hope this is the last of my disappointment for this year." Snape began, and I tried not to roll my eyes. Seriously, does anyone fall for this obvious carrot, and stick brainwashing. Actually where the hell was the carrot? They obviously chose one random student to pick on, and unfortunately for me, it was me they chose. If I hadn't done something, they would have found the next biggest at fault. Looking around I realized except for myself, and Sirius, they had fooled the first years. Perhaps eleven year olds, are easier to threaten than I thought.

"You will have your first lesson from me, potions with Gryffindor on Monday after lunch. I hope you spend the coming weekend reading the first seven chapters of your text 'till you know it rote, as we will be covering things from those sections through next week. Hopefully you have already read the book over the summer holidays along with all the books that it references for greater depth, and details. I demand a level of outstanding in my class. Not just the exceeds, which is required for the others. You should find someone that will explain anything you don't understand, prior to my class time. Otherwise, you will not enjoy your stay here at Hogwarts.

"Some teachers proceed to spoon feed you, like you are babies. I am not your Mother, and I will treat you like the adults, it is about time you should be. I provide a good text, and expect you to have understood it, or found someone to enable you to understand it, prior to my class. Only then can I push you into mastering the field. I am more than willing to help, and teach in any area that is beyond the trivial basics that text books are far better at teaching. Until you have shown me you are competent with all of third year potions, I don't believe my time need be wasted by a question from you.

"If in forth year material, or beyond, you ask me a trivial question, I will merely reply that your reading is inadequate. However, if you for example cite different potion works that disagree on some area of potion brewing. Then I will aid in thrashing out the diverse ideas, and the current thrust of research in the field at present, and why care should be provided, and how much weight to give to the different unproven hypothesis."

"Be here tomorrow morning in the common room by six thirty, goodnight." With that he left, and I just stopped myself from yelling 'the bat has left the dungeon'. Gods, but was he ever full of himself, and if he planned to teach his stated way, why the hell wasn't there a different teacher for the first few years? So much for the rumored help to Slytherin. I pity anyone that is reliant on him to save their life.

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4000+ words - reviews appreciated


	3. Chapter 3

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

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Chapter 3

The room Sirius, and I entered, had two large beds that I would consider full size. There were two study desks between them, and a window without curtains that looked out into pure darkness above the desks. Considering we were a further seven floors down below the common room that was already below the surface of the lake, I pondered if it would be any lighter on the other side of the glass during day time. A perfectly clear lake allows light to penetrate about forty meters, so slightly over one hundred and thirty feet. Our dorm appeared to have about ten to eleven feet to the ceiling, so we were what, ninety to a hundred feet below water, and it is likely not a crystal clear lake.

Then I had a horrible thought. If someone broke the windows in the common room we were dead down here. We'd never be able to force our way up against the water pouring in. If we could, we would likely suffer from the bends. Actually, we would likely be crushed by the water pressure as we would have had air in our lungs, and blood vessels at standard atmospheric pressure. If I approximated we were close to a hundred feet deep, that's three lots of thirty-three feet, so three additional atmospheres of pressure on the outside of the body, verses the pressure on the inside.

I stopped looking at the window in the hopes I could forget my thoughts. 'Magic breaks science laws' was my new internal mantra, and I hoped it was true. On the other side of each bed was a vanity type chest of drawers, with a stool and mirror. There was a trunk at the end of each bed, and two tall narrow dark wooden wardrobes. They were located opposite the desks, side by side against the wall furthest from the lake. It left a near six foot square area in the middle of the dorm of bare wooden floor, and if you looked down on the room you could think the furniture's placement was to cause the floor area to create a stylized, and squared 'W' for Witch or Wizard. The door to our first floor hallway entered at the corner of one of the outer legs of the 'W'. The beds had dark green curtains with silver trimmings, and the floor was the same dark, nearly black, wood as all the other furniture. So the room was a truly light-bubbly-happy-wonderful place. I am sure no eleven year old Slytherin could ever have suicidal or homesick thoughts in such a beautiful place; especially after our fifth year prefects, and head of house speeches.

Sirius was casting numerous spells at the door. "What are all those for?" I asked. "Several locking, and anti-listening spells. I will teach them to you. So Lily huh, named after Harry's mum you think? How old are you Diane? Why were you in the D.O.M., and why do you have an American accent? Also will you be uncomfortable sharing a dorm with a boy, Lily? Anyway we are private now and I have waited long enough for the answers. So come on." Sirius said.

"Ye gods, Sirius you sure talk like a girl. Let me at least answer something." I replied when he finally paused.

"You should call me Azalea." Sirius interrupted me. "We need to make it a habit."

"Fine Azalea, as you are now a girl I have no problem sharing a dorm with you. I am hoping I can find something in my trunk with my complete name confirming that Lily isn't some odd nickname or joke, as it doesn't match my sisters that both have Greek roots to their names. Diane would fit better if they have a thing for Greek legends in their naming, like the Black's have a thing for stars." I took a calming breath and mentally thought through the outstanding questions.

"Oh and thank you in advance for anything you can teach me. Okay age, I was a fourth year but a bit of a runt. I was really prickly about my lack of height. I am happy that is no longer an issue. Luna, the blond with radish earrings at the D.O.M. is, I mean was, also a fourth year, and about my only friend until Harry roped us into the D.A.. Of course that was started because Umbitch wasn't teaching defense. We were both in Ravenclaw. I was a muggleborn that had just moved back to England when my American dad died, and I could not get an English accent to save my life." I stopped Sirius from interrupting me.

"So I hope you have a spell or can help me sound like my ice princess sister. As my Yank accent probably didn't help, with why I had so few friends, I have a second reason to hopefully lose it. I am glad you waited until we were private, as I didn't want to have this conversation in the Great Hall where anyone could have listened in. Did that answer all your questions?"

Sirius replied, "Actually we could have had the conversation privately in the Great Hall. I had a few anti-listening spells up at the table too, but I could tell you were uncomfortable. I don't know if Harry told you, but I was a Marauder. We were a group of pranksters, and we had several quick privacy spells we could throw up to plan our pranks at a moments notice. Congratulations by the way, for your detention, you've beaten the Marauders by getting the most punishment on the first evening of school. One whole month, I think we got two weeks once for pranking the sorting at the opening feast. We used a permanent sticking charm on their clothes, and feathered the first years waiting in the anti-chamber to be sorted. It was pure madness."

As Sirius reminisced on his misspent youth I quickly went over the reasons for my choices, in case questions went into more depth on the lie I was spinning. I figured it was safest to be a Ravenclaw and Luna's friend, as she had no friends until Harry. So it was less likely to trip me up with erroneous information of whom she was friends with etcetera if something different came out, while still explaining why I was with them at the D.O.M. battle. By mentioning my Dad as having died, I would have reason to avoid any question about my family. It would deter questions into that area too. As a muggleborn I wouldn't have to know as much about magic or magic families. It would be unlikely for a muggleborn to have been sorted into Slytherin, and I would have known to not cause a scene if I was. As Harry is in Hufflepuff, I could not pretend that was my house, as he would obviously be telling Azalea all about it, and Sirius knew Gryffindor far better than I could pretend to know.

Sirius interupted my train of thought with his next salvo of questions. "What is the D.A., and you throw out the whole Umbitch wasn't teaching defense, as if you think I would know everything going on with that. As I have you here, I can now find out about what her classes were really like. Hey next year another you, along with Luna, and Astoria start. Will it be weird seeing yourself? Oh, and you need to help me with Pettigrew and the map."

I took a deep breath to answer the next slew of questions. I only didn't complain and ask him to give them to me one at time, because it helped we plan my answers. "D.A. stood for either Dumbledore's Army or Defense Association, it was led by Harry, and Granger. We needed it because the Ministry appointed teacher had the world's worst book assigned for the class, and said it would be theory only. We weren't allowed to do the practical, like um you know learning the spells. Probably a good idea I get a chance to learn them now. Harry was a great teacher…

"Oh, did you have a crush on my brother?"

"Everyone had a crush on your brother. I'm sure even a few wizards did." I sure hoped the best defense was an offense against Sirius. "Anyway as I am already here, I doubt Diane will also start with Luna next year. The voice said we would be replaced, that kind of makes me think Diane died with her Dad, or her Dad didn't die so they stayed in the States. I think Astoria was a year behind us, but I really only knew Luna, we weren't treated nicely in Ravenclaw. We need to help her next year if, as I think there will be no Diane."

"We will adopt Luna. We could do it on the train, and get her sorted into Slytherin with us." I gave Azalea the biggest hug, and found myself crying into her robes. Where the heck did this come from? I mean I was all wound up trying to sell Diane as really being a person in potterverse, and feeling guilty pretending the bad things that happened to Luna also happened to me. But Luna didn't have a Diane, so I was making her pain less than it truly was, and… "Shh… it's alright Diane. I will protect Luna, and you. Just like you will have a better time at Hogwarts this time, so will Luna. Everything well will be okay." Sirius hand gently soothed me, and I suddenly realized what I was doing. More what I was letting a guy do!

I wasn't hugging a girl! This was a guy. My body became instantly awkward and stiff. Thankfully Sirius let me go. How did he instantly know I was uncomfortable being held? I twisted away from him, and near ran to the opposite side of my bed, to keep something between us. If I didn't have to look at him to ensure he wasn't following, I would have hid my tear stained face. What would he think of me? I tugged at my sleeves to make sure my scars were covered. How do I get out? Where is my escape? I couldn't get enough air. The common room was flooding. The water will crush me…

"Diane!" Sirius yelled at me. "Don't make me slap your pretty face."

"Don't come…

"I will stay over here. But Diane, if I am staying over here, you must do what I say." I nodded tentatively, I figured I could always balk if I disagree with what he tells me to do. "I want you to take a deep breath in, and hold it until I say you can release it." I suddenly realized how fast I was breathing. It took me a moment as I chocked momentarily trying to breathe in and out at the same time initially. However, after a bit of coughing I did as asked, and when it was finally released I was almost calm once more. It helped that Sirius had stayed away from me as I wanted.

"Now, do Luna's problems start next year at Hogwarts, or is there something we need to do to help her now?"

"I think her Mom's already dead. If that hasn't happened… if we could stop that. It would be good." I quietly said, and Sirius nodded but thankfully didn't interrupt me. "Otherwise all her problems are next year, and caused by Hogwarts."

"Right, so we will find that out; and if her Mum is alive come up with a plan to ensure she stays that way, but otherwise we don't have to worry about helping Luna yet. We can wait on next year to see if Luna is alone, or if she is with Diane, and possibly Astoria if you remember your sister's age incorrectly." I nodded, and attempted a smile at his joke. I was confused at the panic attack. It had seemed as if this body had a different set of controls, and reactions from mine. I mean sure I didn't hug guys, but Lilaea seemed to have a much more uncomfortable reaction.

Sirius had continued talking, and I had obviously missed a bit. "…we will friend one, two or all three of them depending on who shows up. I need to get Pettigrew and the map. So what can you tell me about Pettigrew and the map?" His question to solve a problem got me concentrating on obviously Sirius's plan to free Sirius. I really need to try harder to think of him, her as Azalea. He was deliberately distracting me.

"Pettigrew is the one that betrayed Harry's parent's to you-know-who, yes? Er, map?" I figured Harry wouldn't tell the D.A. much about those two things. As I knew there was no fourth year Diane to start next year. I hopefully set a realistic reason for why she doesn't show up next year. I also couldn't remember what year Astoria was for sure, but tended to think she, and Romilda Vane were both two years younger.

"What was your muggleborn last name?" Sirius obviously felt I needed to be more distracted, as he went with the none sequitur .

"I think you are right about names. I keep thinking of you as Sirius, and you think of me as Diane. If you only know Greengrass then there is less chance of a mess up." I teased back, to let him know I had got over my earlier, whatever the hell the earlier thing was. I returned to the middle of the room to let him know I was fine.

"It is that bad a last name? Come on tell me the name. I won't tease you, too much." Sirius replied.

"There's nothing wrong with 'Smith' that you could tease me over."

"I thought you said you were muggleborn. Smith is a pureblood name…

"There is no way every Smith is a wizard. There are not thousands of wizards in the magical world." I countered.

"Huh…" was Sirius's eloquent response.

"Smith is the most common last name in the western muggle world. Look in a telephone directory the next time you are in the muggle world. They can't all be from the magical Smith family."

"Oh Smith isn't a very big family name in the magical world. The Black's used to be one of the larger magical families."

"Black is fairly common in the muggle world too. However, Smith, Jones, and possibly White are more common."

"I think I should take offence to the family named, White. However, as you have thankfully agreed with me on using our new names, I think I will enjoy calling you Lily from now on or Miss Greengrass for our more formal talks." The goof ball Sirius was back and I had ducked a potential hazard, while he continued trying to make me feel comfortable in his presence by joking.

"You're a Potter now though, Miss Potter. You're no longer a Black."

"I have a 'Black' Godfather, we need to get me out of Azkaban. For that we need to get the rat, and the map will help catch the rat."

"Are you off your medication?" I knew what he meant, but I shouldn't. I figured I shouldn't anyway.

"Pettigrew is a rat animagus, and responsible for me being in Azkaban. The Marauders Map was made by Remus, James and me, and shows everyone in Hogwarts and thus it will show which Weasley the rat is hiding as their pet as. Harry gets the map before I escape in third year, and if we have it, we can catch the rat, and get me freed earlier."

"I think I follow you." I replied. "So unless the rat is with Ginny, who starts next year, it is here in Hogwarts. If at Hogwarts it must be with either Percy, one of the twins or Ron. Ron is the same year as Harry."

"Ron has the rat. We need to steal the rat from Ron." Sirius looked like he was going to do it right now.

"Just wait a second Azalea, we can't just do that, because then they are going to wonder why it got stolen. Dumbledore would likely obliviate us if he is afraid we could cause some time paradox. Talking of which do you know occlumency as we need it, so we don't get found out when Snape or Dumbledore reads our minds."

"Well I can see why you were a Ravenclaw, worried about time paradox, and what others would think about why you do something. Dumbledore won't wipe our minds, he will be thankful that we know the future, and help us."

"This is the same Dumbledore that hired Snape as a teacher, left you in Azkaban without a trial, and Harry at the Dursley's."

"Woah, now we are into conspiracy theories. Dumbledore is the leader of the light.

"He is manipulative, miserly with information, and his go to phrase when ever questioned is 'it is for the greater good' the same phrase the Nazi's used in World War II, which was the enemy for the muggle side of the Grindelwald war. A war caused by a previous dark lord who was Dumbledore's best friend and..."

"What!" Sirius thankfully interrupted me before I gave away information I shouldn't know. "Look, hopefully Dumbledore is a good wizard that just made some bad mistakes, but we can't take that risk. We need to plan for the worst, and hope for the best, and you can't do your Gryffindor leap before thinking. It got you into Azkaban. Do you know Occlumency, and if so, can you teach me?"

"Yes I do, and I will start teaching you, and also work on mine own. It probably can do with some work. It will help us studying too. Do you really not trust Dumbledore?"

"Thank you, and as to Dumbledore, he has made some really questionable decisions in regards to Harry. There's the Dursleys, you not getting a trial, hiring Snape, these sort of things make it look like he is setting Harry up to be a martyr. We were at the D.O.M. because you-know-who tricked Harry into thinking you were being tortured and your house elf lied to Harry." I started rattling off my list.

"Kreachure, caused my godson to be stuck fighting death eaters in the D.O.M.!" Sirius yelled and really looked angry. He had some serious beef with that elf. I had to stop myself from suddenly laughing at my internal Sirius joke, and I probably shouldn't know Kreacher's name.

"Er, you've lost me, 'Kreacher'?"

"My house elf that is about to get its neck rung!" Sirius growled at me.

"Miss Potter, first it is no longer your house elf, second it hasn't lied yet, third from what I heard, though there might be bad blood between the house elf and you, Harry used to wish that you were more understanding of the house elf. He sort of champions house elves because so many are poorly treated like he was by the Dursley's, which happened because of Dumbledore. If I am willing to hold judgment on Dumbledore can you look at what your Mom did to Kreacher, and feel sorry for the poor elf."

Sirius looked at me like I had a third head. I think for all his spouting about running away from his family and the pure blood ideals, he actually like most wizards had a blind spot to house elves and magical creatures. Thankfully he was calming down before ranting at me. I sat down on my bed to hopefully diffuse the tension too, and smiled while waiting for him to relax.

Sirius got a wistful look on his face. "Harry does champion the underdog doesn't he? Wow, I sort of knew him, but I really didn't know my godson. I kept trying to find things that reminded me of James, but there is so much Lily in him, and I mainly ignored those parts in him."

"Hey you were mourning the loss of your best friend, and trust me you were not as blinkered as Snape! He doesn't even have your excuse." I tried to cheer him up. This was not a Sirius I expected to be with. Sirius bark of laughter told me I'd stopped his maudlin.

"So you and Luna were on that list of underdogs my godson championed. You did have a crush on him, didn't you? You have a second chance to catch him, and an inside path; being best friends with his sister."

God's but do I ever walk into minefields? Walk, hell I think I run, and then dance as soon as I am in the middle. Sirius was looking at me, and I knew I had to cut him off before he started matchmaking me with a 'guy'. "Azalea, earlier when I said that as you were now a girl, I had no problem sharing my dorm with you. That statement actually is more meaningful than you probably took it to mean. You just witnessed my freak out when I stopped thinking of you as a girl, and thought of you as being Sirius, a 'guy'. Sure, Harry did his whole saving people thing for Luna and I, and that meant he was possibly the only guy I would ever let touch me. However, even amazing wonderful Harry; I wouldn't be willing to be alone with. My mind probably knows Harry is a good guy, my body never will." Oh, and looking at Sirius I suddenly realized what he would take away from this, actually that could work, as long as he doesn't think he needs to track down and save the none existent Diane.

We both sat silently, and finally it didn't look like he was going to set me up with his godson at least. However, he was obviously thinking something deep and dark, and I was concerned. I had pushed him into this dark place accidentally, and it wasn't real, and I sort of felt guilty. I mean here I was making up a backstory, and I was giving Diane a hellish one. Just to make Sirius too uncomfortable to dig holes into it.

"Diane, will you be okay cleaning the boys' rooms?" Oh wow, I had sort of blanked that minor detail out. Sirius was a really good person. Far better than I had ever been. He really thinks about other people, and what will be a future problem for them. How come he was not having such a hard time over the whole gender switch. I mean I'm giving myself fictional hang-ups to explain the actual hang-ups that I am lying about. Why is he not freaking out.

"How do you do it? How can you sit there in a dress in a girls dorm. Helping and thinking about my pain, and not your own. Did you know prior to waking up in the great hall you would be a girl?"

"Diane, you just went back a couple of years. I had more than a decade of the worst memories of living in Azkaban, but they are in this body, like something I heard happen to someone else. I am young, and healthy again. I get to go to relive my time at Hogwarts, and I will breeze through easily as the top student. My biggest competition to that is this Ravenclaw-Slytherin you are intimately aware of, but I think it will be a year or two before you're giving me a run for my money. You know of the Dursley hell hole. I get to be with Harry, and make sure it isn't bad for him there. Half the people in this world are female, and most can handle it just fine so I am more than willing to pay that for this.

"Actually I think I would chose it if I was offered the choice. I mean I've lived one childhood as a boy. I need to see if I can cause more mischief, and break more hearts as a girl than I did, when I was a boy. Now if you think you could derail me. I am serious." I groaned and he laughed. "Hey I can only play those jokes with you now, but really will you be okay having to clean the boys dorms?"

"As I am now a pureblood, I am sure I can demand that I will only clean their rooms when they are not allowed in them. You could teach me the disillusionment charm though."

"I'll teach you some hexes too." Sirius told me, and I laughed. "What?" Sirius looked like a spurned knight.

"No sorry, it is a wonderful offer. I just remembered that there were rumors of my new twin sister being the Slytherin ice princess for sending freezing hexes at boys' tackle." Sirius cringed and moved his legs as a boy would have done, and I pointed it out to him with a look.

"Some things are too well programmed in me Diane. However, I know just the hex to protect my ice princess's virtue." Sirius told me, and I beamed a mega watt smile at him. "Now you were providing arguments on why we should be careful around Dumbledore, and why my godson ended up at the ministry." Sirius obviously actively shifted the subject to make me be distracted from what he thought were horrible memories I was trapped in.

"Sure, erm…" I quickly got myself back to where in the conversation we were before. "You-know-who wanted Harry because there is a prophecy between Harry and himself, and he wanted to get Harry to pick it off the shelf. I guess there must have been a reason the Death eaters couldn't pick it off the self, as they obviously arrived prior, and waited for Harry to pick it up. Only then did they show up, and demand it be given to them. Do you know the prophecy?" I figured I could fudge what was known a bit, as he couldn't really check now.

"No Dumbledore just was having the Order guard it. He said it was best we didn't know so that no one could accidentally give it away to you-know-who. As to the guess you made, you guessed right. There is a hex curse on the prophecy rack that only allows someone named in the prophecy to pick an orb up off the rack. We were hoping to lure You-know-who into the ministry so we could prove he was back. Unfortunately he found a way to get Harry to pick it up for him."

I looked at Sirius and made my next push on why we shouldn't go to Dumbledore. "There is the limiting of information again. It always sounds good but Dumbledore hordes information, like a dragon hordes gold. If he had just let Harry also know he had a trap for you-know-who, and not to go to the Ministry no matter what, we possibly wouldn't have ended up there. Maybe ensure Harry had a way to contact him. Every year Dumbledore is not available, and Harry makes the wrong decision, or ends up in danger due to arriving at the wrong conclusion that were only made because Dumbledore was hiding information from him.

"He has Snape teach Harry Occlumency even though they hate each other. Why couldn't he teach it, or better yet, have you do it. He doesn't tell Harry enough so he is able to be tricked, and he doesn't even tell the Order. He plays his cards too close to the vest and always Harry is hurt, and Dumbledore apologizes, but does the same thing the next year. Thus Dumbledore is constantly making bad decisions because he doesn't listen to another's council, or because he is not a good wizard. Either way he is not somebody to trust."

'Wow Lily, should I be worried that I am now second questioning a wizard I have before thought could do no wrong?"

"There is a saying from somewhere that says 'trust but verify' and that is all I am asking you to do with Dumbledore. Hopefully I am a paranoid cynic, and way wrong to question him."

"Mad Eye Moody would love you Lily."

"Oh god not my third year defense teach. 'Constant Vigilance!' yelled off randomly."

"Actually that wasn't Mad Eye that was a death eater using poly juice, pretending to be Mad Eye. You weren't taught by the real Mad Eye." Sirius informed me of what I pretended to not know. "So my little Ravenclaw how do you get me out of Azkaban."

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4800+ words - reviews appreciated


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

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"First we check the newspapers in the library, and ensure you are in Azkaban. You know the whole I will replace you spiel…" Of course I was just doing this because if I thought Diane wouldn't exist then I would think the same for Sirius too. Actually, what if there was a Sirius in prison now, would I have to make him go through the veil in a few years so Azalea will be here?

"Diane, you've gone and started internally thinking again. It was one of my pet peeves with Ravenclaw birds. We would be all getting in the mood, and then it was like, I was no longer in the bed with them…

"Ughh, TMI, Sirius!"

"T. M. I.?"

"Forget about it. It's not important. So anyway then we need to get McGonegall to tell us if there is a spell that identifies an animagus, or can force them to change back."

"I can tell you those spells already…

"Yes, but Azalea can't, as she shouldn't know too much about magic yet. McGonegall likes showing off that she is a cat animagus. Thus, after we have seen her, we can be worried about how many animals around us are actually witches or wizards, waiting to attack us."

"Wow Lily, paranoid much?"

"I am setting up why two first years would know the spells, and be casting it at a random rat. When we question McGonegall, we need to ensure Ronald isn't nearby. Er, did you notice if he was sorted into Gryffindor?"

"Weasley's are sorted into Gryffindor. He was last time. Didn't you know? He was one of your friends right?" Sirius questioned me, and he was obviously upset about something. Probably heard my emotion when I said his name, in my defense I was getting into character.

"I know he was last time, though he wasn't my friend. Harry was my friend, Longbottom was nice, and I think he could have become my friend. Granger, er…

"Okay what is your problem with Ron, and Hermione? They're Harry's best friends. I definitely saw your face sour against both of them. The whole use of 'Ronald' and 'Granger' seems by your pronunciation of them, to be curse words. I had wondered before, and let it pass." Sirius interrupted me.

"Remember Sirius, my only friend until Harry, was Luna. Because of that, I don't have a non-biased view of people. I judge them on how they treated, and interacted with Luna, and myself. We were the school pariahs. Before Hogwarts, Ronald lived near Luna, and after she lost her Mom, she didn't behave as a normal girl would. In fact, that means Luna must have already lost her Mom."

"Yeah, sorry sounds like it. We can check anyway, but go on." Sirius replied.

"Luna had some rather off the wall named creatures, and she could make you uncomfortable. While saying odd things, she actually could be dangerously close to… um, private things that made you suddenly wonder, if she knows the secret." Pausing to try to work out how to approach this, and to stop feeling guilty, I was making this character to fit in, and I needed to bash those two, as they had hurt Luna, and thus would have hurt me. Thankfully Sirius was letting me explain this, and giving me the time to find the right words.

"You know, I never could work out if the person hearing an odd thing, is so desperately trying to make it sound normal that they trick themselves into thinking Luna knows a secret she shouldn't know. Sort of how you can make shapes out of clouds. Or if Luna was part seer, and the weird named creatures were her defense against seeing too close to real truths."

Stopping I looked at Sirius again, and took a breath, well here goes nothing. "Ronald called her Loony before Hogwarts, and then when there were the two of us, we were Loony Lovegood, and Tini Bitch, Hogwarts crazies. His loud constant use of those names, contributed to the rest of the school to address us that way, instead of our names."

"Granger didn't pick on either of us. She didn't talk to us directly either, but she would communicate her disapproval. She would at a minimum huff, and let everyone know she was annoyed about Luna's creatures. She would in front of us talk to others about how no such creature existed as it wasn't in a factual book. I found it very closed minded, considering we had both come from the muggle world. So Ronald, and Granger are not my friends. That doesn't mean they cannot be ideal friends for Harry, or someone else."

"I am sorry Diane, and I thank you for being candid. Hopefully we can ensure that Hermione is more open to the idea books are not the end of the argument, but the starting point. Teenage boys are prats. Also Ron failed. I mean if the first has alliteration the second should too. So it should have been like Tini-Tiny, or rhymed Tini-Wini." Sirius winked to let me know he wasn't being mean, but trying to lighten the mood.

Mainly thinking of my twenty-six year old big brother, but also as he was teasing me, I added. "Some boys are still prats beyond their teenage years too."

"Oy! That better not be against me." Sirius stated, causing me to laugh. "Any way, you were saying Ron might not be in Gryffindor."

"My concern is Harry went into Hufflepuff this time. So maybe Ronald followed. I didn't pay attention, so asked if you knew."

"I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention to the sorting. I was sort of mainly concerned about some lost tackle, and finding you. How come you didn't become Crabbe or Goyle's sister?"

"When you have time to interact with Malfoy's two goons you will discover that they are, let's call it intellectually challenged. After you suddenly vanished, and I had calmed down from panicking about suddenly being alone. I pointed out to whatever was offering this mulligan to us that if I were a twin to such, I might not be as smart as I was before. Even if that wasn't a problem, they're sort of attached at the hip to Malfoy. This would make it next to impossible, to be able to help Harry. As Malfoy is Harry's school rival. It offered me to chose to be a twin to any none muggle girl in Harry's year. The only caveat on this deal, was that I would not know which was chosen, only that it believed they would be the closest fit to me. I don't know if that means personality, intelligence, or what. It sure doesn't mean height, thank the gods."

"Oh, and the girl closest to your personality is, now what did you start to call her until she pulled a wand on you. Yes, that was it 'Ice Bitch'."

"That's 'Ice Princess Bitch' to you, and don't you forget it." I said striking a magical girl pose, sans wand. Sirius, and I laughed.

"Fine your ice'ness. Let's get ready for bed, check your trunk for your actual name, and I will start teaching you magic from the upper Hogwarts' years, and beyond. We won't get much done tonight, but at least it will be the weekend after tomorrow's classes. We should make good progress then." Sirius stated then started to remove his, her robe.

"Wait, can you cast curtains on the window." I asked.

"It's the pitch black lake out there, what do we need curtains on the window for?"

"Mermen, grindylows, and anything else that lives in the depths of the lake, and decides to peek on us."

"Lily you are such a girl."

"Azalea we both are girls now." I countered while looking at the two trunks. One was really fancy, the other one rather plain. Opening the plain one as it was closer, I found text books neatly stacked to one side. Opening the top book, 'Miranda Goshawks, The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1', yielded a name, 'Azalea Marie Potter' in pretty cursive lettering.

Flicking through the contents I saw 'Incendio' the fire making spell, 'Colloportus' and Alohomora' and Wingarium Leviosa along with 'Reparo', and 'Diffindo'. Thankfully just the quick flick through, and I was confident I could cast not just these but any of the spells in the whole book. I knew that I had near two years of using them under my belt, while at the same time knowing they were brand new to me. Again shying away from the oddness, but accepting the boon, I turned and handed the open book to Sirius. He had finished creating some nice thick silver with green trim curtains to cover the window. As I gave him the book, I informed him. "This is the property of Azalea Marie Potter, who has gorgeous calligraphy."

"Thank goodness, I've been worried all evening that my middle name would be Euphemia or Gertrude. They're James's Mum's first, and middle name. Thankfully I got both names from Lily's Mum." Sirius sighed in relief.

"Euphemia Gertrude, some parents are too cruel to be allowed to name their children." I laughed, then crossed to the fancy trunk, and failed to open it.

"You will need to use your wand to open that style trunk." Sirius informed me. "It will be keyed to your magical signature, and possibly need an opening password too."

Well I hope not I thought, while wondering where my wand was. I found it strapped in a holster on my left arm. Gods, was I now left handed? Thankfully, once I held it in my left hand it felt comfortable. Even better, as soon as the tip touched the lock it sprung open. On the top of the neatly folded clothes was an envelope with the cursive written word ' _Lilaea_ ' on it. Opening it yielded a letter.

* * *

 ** _Dear Lilaea,_**

 ** _I have left notes to your sister, and my daughter in their trunks too. Burn yours, and ensure they burn theirs after read. Your trunks can be locked with a password for additional security. If you speak while touching your wand to the lock when locking, it then will require that same word to be spoken when you next open it. That was why I fussed, and told you to say nothing when locking it. I know the sorting can be stressful, and felt it was unneeded to lock it that way the first time, in case the password was forgotten. Hopefully you three got your wish, and the three of you are in the same house. If Slytherin, you will likely be sharing with Daphne. Please let my daughter into your room. It would be safest if you stayed together, and the beds are large. You need to have each others' back. I know my daughter's energetic personality annoys you even more than she does your sister, but remember what you promised me. I will hold both you, and your sister to that promise, as you two are all I've got of Rhea, and Tracey is all I've got of Wilhelm. Remember your bleeding._**

 ** _Yours,_**

 ** _Aunt Peitha M. Davis nee Travers nee Rosier_**

* * *

Reading the letter twice still left me clueless, so I handed it to Sirius. "Any idea what she means?"

Handing it back Sirius stated. "You on your period, you think?"

"I hope I haven't already started that. It would be a really odd Aunt that writes about it, that way too."

"Well be a good spy, and burn your letter before someone else sees it. You probably shouldn't let the rest of the Musketeers know you let me read it, and check the other two did burn theirs, and maybe they will drop more hints when you head over there. I sort of like keeping this room just ours, as we have stuff to plan, but if they push we can share, and find times on our own, as we can." He then jumped off his bed, and proceeded unsealing the door.

I read the letter two more times, turned it over, then upside down. Next I tried placing my wand to it. I even tried to look at a reflection of it in the mirror. I had given up in working some trick to make it reveal something more logical, and decided it wasn't worth keeping. I had just cast 'incendio' on the letter when Daphne barged in.

"What types of locks did you place on the door? I couldn't counter them." Daphne demanded.

"That would be telling. Just know I've been experimenting." I bluffed. Where was the, 'hi sister?' Then again, I guess the door had been locked for a good while. It might have put her in this mood, rather than she being naturally this prissy.

Daphne stepped over to me and whispered. "I was expecting you to come over to our room to burn it. Don't you think Potter will think it odd?"

"Nope, I said I wanted to practice the spell. What is your thought on the letters?" I whispered back.

Daphne stepped back and loudly declared. "I wish you would stop the false Yank accent. It is so _fake_." Then grabbing me, which caused me to nearly hex her, I just stopped myself before she possibly noticed, she was whispering once more. "Any way the letter, prior to Potter it made sense. We couldn't have left Tracy to hope her roommate would have her back. Now if you trust Potter." I nodded, when she paused and looked at me. I have no idea what she was looking for, but she seemed to see something that decided her next course of action, which was to speak aloud once more. "I don't think we have to cram the four of us in one room then. " She then stepped in to whisper. "I am sure Auntie just didn't want her daughter to have to rely on another, and wasn't threatening us."

Um, okay, is Auntie known for threatening us? When should I start worrying, because now I am wondering if there is something to Sirius's joke about spying? There seems to be several aspects of this conversation that I am clueless to. My paranoia is actually trying to see if there is some hidden code in each odd thing said, or in the delivery of said odd thing. Like the fact she called my real accent, fake, and did that aloud, rather than whispered, seen as she were taking the time to whisper some other things. Does it mean something more than she doesn't know it is a real accent? Why was there emphasis on the word fake? By me talking with an 'accent', did I give some secret message, inadvertently to her? At the same time I am worried about myself. I had instantly known a really nasty hex that would have ruptured the small intestine. How did I know this spell, and why was I so quick to nearly use it?

Daphne back addressing the room at large continues. "Will you be warding ours then, when you have finished your experimenting?" I nodded, to avoid using my 'fake' Yank accent, figuring if she thought I was able to do warding, I could possibly be talented enough to pick something up from Sirius. I hope he knew something he could quickly teach me. Or at least some smoke and mirrors to make it look like I'm doing something, while he does it. "Oh, and Auntie told both Tracey, and I to remind you about your…" she glanced at Sirius then leaned in and whispered "bleeding." Before stepping back. "Are we really going to have to do…" she had made some motion with her hand that I only noticed the end of due to the movement, before continuing as if she was sure I knew what the hell this conversation was about."…for you the whole term?"

"No!" It slipped out and I wasn't really too sure what I was saying, 'no' to. However, I didn't think it was bad I had accidentally answered. I was fairly sure it was usually safest to answer 'no' when you didn't know. What was the thing she didn't want to do all term, and did I answer correctly? What the bloody hell was this 'bleeding' about? "We have already owled Auntie of the sorting."

Daphne looked at me intently, so I just smiled. I wasn't going to take the initiative, and prolong this awkward conversation, especially with my 'Yank' accent.

"I'll be leaving then." She said, while sailing through the door. Did our parents and Aunt live together? Wouldn't children owl their parents, of where they were sorted?

Sirius recast his spells and looked at me. "Please tell me the whispered part I missed made her comments make sense to you."

"Sorry no, if anything they made it worse. I have no idea what I answered, and if it was the right answer to everything that just happened. Er, is there a magical spy division like MI5, and MI6?"

"Lilaea, you will have to let me know when you find out. I bet you anything it will have claimed dibs on MI7, if it exists though." Sirius replied unhelpfully.

I started emptying, what was apparently, 'my' trunk, hoping I would find something to help me be this new person I now was. I needed to know me, before the other two of my three amigos realized I wasn't who I was. That got me feeling a bit guilty that I had stolen someone else's life, I mean while in the D.O.M. it had sounded as if I was to be created a few hours ago at the sorting, but this person seemed to have a prior life. Realizing I was wandering once again in to the whole, this way leads to madness; I forced myself away from my current thought process, and went back to unpacking the trunk.

Having removed all my expected first year gear I found several additional potions, transfiguration, and charms books. The standard books of spells both second, and third year were there, in addition to this year's book. I hoped I would learn them as easily as simply flicking through the pages, and wondered how I would get hold of book four, as I needed to know those spells too. I also thought it strange that except for a book titled, 'Shields and How to Break Them', I didn't have additional reading for DADA, as I would rank that as important, if not more so than the other three.

Having emptied the trunk and put everything away, I returned to close the trunk. As I proceeded to grasp the lid I felt a poke on my finger. Pulling back I found I had nicked it on something along the edge of the lid. Sucking the blood clean from the wound in the side of my finger, I was thankful I hadn't got a splinter in my hand. I carefully re-opened the trunk so I could fix the lid to not cut me again. Inside the trunk I realized there was a secret compartment that must be blood operated. Was this the reference to bleeding?

I found within the new compartment a few glass test tubes and some wooden test tube holders, a silver athame in a leather leg sheath, and books that appeared to make me feel wary. They seemed to absorb the light from the dimly lit bedroom. My over-healthy paranoia had me wondering what else they were absorbing. This warred with my common sense that convinced me that it was the flickering gas lighting that made the books appear wreathed in shadows, and not because they were imbibing the electromagnetic radiation.

The three books on dark magic were named, 'Wylde Furies Warding & Twyning', 'Embeded and Hidden Cursing', and 'Olde Curses, Hexes and Hy-Jinxs'. I decided it best to keep these items in the trunk. I was a bit leery of the dark arts books. It was best to lock them in my trunk until I had a stronger foundation of standard magic under my belt.

Figuring if I could flick through both the second and third years standard book of spells I would be quickly building up my base, I chose to start here first. Unfortunately, flicking through book two, didn't yield me new spells. So it looked like I would have to struggle on spells my made up character should know. Figuring the dark arts book of warding would be the last option, I tried to think which of my other first year subject, and extended reading books would possibly help.

The next few minutes told me some rather concerning things about where my strengths in magic lay. Charms that were inherently neutral were an area I was quite gifted in. Transfiguration, and defensive magic along with charms that were beneficial, like the healing spell 'episkey' or shields that protect, required me to fight my magic's natural instincts. Hexes on the other end of the spectrum seemed to desire to be cast, I have to make a conscious effort to not cast them.

While I am attempting to read a defense book about a shield, I can't concentrate, and learn what the text says on how to cast, and what the wand movements are. No, my eyes always see the list of hexes that the shield should not be used against. As I read the hex's name I know how to cast it, and how it would collapse the shield. Which would collapse it quickest, or better pass through ignoring the shield altogether. I guess I knew why I had books delving into dark magic. I was down to only two options for the ability to ward my sister's dorm. Read one of my dark arts books, or ask Sirius for help.

"So my sister seems to expect me to ward her room. Any quick and dirty wards you can teach me in say, thirty minutes?"

"Remus, and James were the warders in our group. I'm not too hot in that area."

"Well my sister thinks your spells are a ward. Can you teach me those, and I then pretend I cast a ward on their room, while casting your spells?" I asked.

"First off, the locking spells I cast on this door would take between a few days, and several weeks to learn, based on if you have talent in this area. Next, they wouldn't work, because they couldn't be made to mimic the way a ward works." Sirius informed me.

Sirius continued. "A ward is set up with conditions, and then can be operated by another if they were keyed into the ward. My spells are cast to lock, and I have a second set to be cast to unravel the lock or no one can get in or out. It can be cast from the outside, and no one could enter their room while they slept, but they couldn't leave until it was unlocked from the outside. Not very safe for them, as the ability to unlock it would be available on the outside to someone who knew it."

So it appeared it would be the last option. Seeing that Sirius was flagging I got the first pointers on Occlumency for me to work on, and a few nasty hexes that I was able to learn instantly. I could tell Sirius was a bit concerned with how easily I seemed to pick them up. It was likely only because he thought I needed them that he continued to teach me. Then while he headed to the bathroom I bit the bullet, and grabbed 'Wylde Furies Warding & Twyning' and started reading.

Sirius returned from the bathroom and re-locked the door. He was wearing the ugliest flannel grandma nighty I'd seen. "It works and I don't think I'll be flouncing around in a negligee any time soon kiddo." Sirius said obviously seeing my unspoken words on my face. "Can I look at your letter again, there was something odd about it, but I can't place my finger on what."

"I already burnt it, and I think we agree that there was something odd about the whole thing." Sirius nodded climbed into his bed, and closed the curtains so my studying wouldn't disturb his sleep.

After a good three hours studying I had a solid foundation on the basics of warding that considering they were founded on Arithmancy and Runes, meant those two subjects would be a cake walk for me. The bad news being I didn't need to be good at those subjects 'till third year. So it wasn't really helpful for me now, that I was talented in that area of magic.

I now knew the ward I wanted to cast to protect our rooms, but knew I would need probably two, if not four more hours to study it to the point I could utilize it. By this time I had to believe that both my sister, and Tracy, like Sirius were asleep. Thus they likely wouldn't appreciate being woken for their blood for a ward that would then protect them less than four hours at best. For this reason to keep studying on how to erect the required ward properly wasn't a good use of my limited time left.

Trying to think back through the conversation to see if I had agreed to ward their room tonight, I recalled that the acceptance was for after I finished experimenting. Though it was likely she, like myself, expected it to occur as protection for tonight. I could hopefully make it seem a misunderstanding. It would definitely be right now a better use of my time to concentrate on the subjects I appeared to be struggling in, namely DADA and Transfiguration. Hopefully, I could also put some effort into Occlumency, as it would make me a better student, as well as protecting me and my secrets.

* * *

4400+ words - reviews appreciated


	5. Chapter 5

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

* * *

Chapter 5

"Lilaea, did you sleep last night? It is nearly six in the morning." Sirius interrupted my last attempt to clear my mind. Occlumency looked like it wasn't going to be an easy thing to learn. I had managed to read a good way into both defense, and transfiguration theory, but I had been spoilt with how easy wards, and the first standard book of spells had gone. These three subjects would be a grind. I needed them though.

I was worried about potions, but as that wasn't 'till next week I had concentrated, and pushed myself last night in Occlumency, Defense, and Transfiguration. That way if we had one of those classes I would appear gifted. Which, as I was faking being a fourth year retaking a first year class, is how I should look. Occlumency was needed to protect all my secrets, and the holy grail of making studying easier. The whole keeping my emotions off my face was a plus too.

Charms was in the bag. I had breezed nearly two-thirds through book two. Using it as a reward, when I was fed up with forcing myself in the other three. Unfortunately, there was no warding class, but if there were I think I could shine. I was so taking Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes as my electives in third year.

I now knew that unlike Defense Against the Dark Arts, hexes were something I excelled at, the darker the curse, the easier it was for me to master. I would therefore be trying my own bait, and switch. Using my skill in offense to hide my weakness in defense, until I got more headway in DADA theory, shields, and the lighter offensive spells that are actually in the curriculum, and I sort of suck at. Actually there is no 'sort of' about it. I royally stink at them.

Hopefully,I can pass off my inadequacies of DADA, by trying to argue Lilaea has different talents than Diane had. Otherwise Sirius is going to challenge my statement that I was a fourth year, when he sees my skill in this class. However, if I can play off my new gift in dark hexes, as an excuse that my new darker magic was messing up my supposed four years of experience in DADA, then my fabrication was safe, hopefully. I still was praying we wouldn't have a class of DADA today, because if I had to demonstrate my practical skill level; I think a squib would do better.

I have to restrain myself from laughing that here I am at Hogwarts, but Durmstarng's class in Dark Arts would probably be easier for me. Talk about not being happy with what you've been given. Especially, when you were given something this cool. It's just I am going to struggle at DADA, and Transfiguration, which will look odd to Sirius when I am trying to pretend I was a fourth year Ravenclaw. I know, it sounded like whining to me too.

This weekend I will also find out how hard Potions is, or isn't going to be. As it seems I am already in Snape's bad books, it will suck if I am not talented in it, as I am in my three good subjects. It does suck that only one of the three is one of the classes I need to look good in from the starting gate. I may re-evaluate when actually taking the classes, but think Herbology, Astronomy, and History of Magic, wouldn't be as important as the other four to still appear knowledgeable in. So those could hopefully wait. I am going to need to sleep eventually.

"Lilaea, if you are quite finished your bloomin' trancing, I'm off to the bathroom, coming?"

"Go ahead Azalea." I told Sirius. After he left I grabbed out a new set of clothes, 'my' bathroom robe, apparently I have one of those now, and quickly started taking my old clothes off. I had just removed my long sleeved blouse when Sirius barreled back through the door. "Forgot my… Diane, what the hell happened to your arms!"

Damn I should have taken everything to the bathroom. I just hadn't wanted anyone else to see me in yesterday's clothes, and know I hadn't slept last night. Now what should I say. No one had seen my scars before. Wait a minute! This was a new body. I whipped my head to look at my left arm, and saw the same scars that I had seen before leaving my world. There were the last shallow cuts I had cut, before starting my reading marathon. No, there were a few other new deep ones, on both arms too. "You think this is the bleeding thing?" I asked Sirius, pretending I had no clue how they got here. Well in regards to some of them, I truly didn't.

"Lily, can you honestly tell me that if I had seen your arms when you were Diane, in the D.O.M. you wouldn't have had these same scars?" Sirius demanded.

"Sirius, if you had seen Diane's arms, while we were in the D.O.M., I would just like now as Lilaea, not have expected to see these scars on them." I adjusted his question to be able to honestly answer in the affirmative.

"Do you think Daphne knows about this?" Sirius asked next.

"If it is the bleeding thing, she might. I would expect that at least Tracy's Mom has to know in that case. However, if Lilaea was doing cutting, then it is unlikely anyone knew. A child that does self-harm, is usually quite adept at covering it up."

Sirius was looking at me oddly again, had I come across too knowledgeable? Would an innocent that suddenly found them self with cuts, be more or less likely to want to cover up. How would they react to finding scars over their arms? I knew I wanted to cover up, and deny, deny, deny! Would a normal person be more, or less embarrassed? Actually maybe the odd look is because I just sort of referred to myself in the third person, but I was meaning the Lilaea before I became her, as I often thought of her in the third person before she became me. Quickly stepping back from that precipice of madness, I decided to concentrate on the scars, and if it was time to cover them, or not. Hedging my bets, I figured if I now covered them up, it hopefully wouldn't seem too hasty. I'd take my chemise, and bra off from within the robe.

"Stop! Don't you think you should put something on them?" Sirius queried, and I so nearly snarked back, that I was actually now doing, just that.

"Most of it looks like some pretty old scar tissue Azalea. I doubt Murtlap Essence would do it any good, and if there is a reason for this, it might do harm to the whole bleeding thing in the letter."

"If you didn't know about this scarring, why would you know about Murtlap?" Sirius pounced. Oh, he was fairly suspicious on this issue.

"Luna needed it, Harry did too. Umbitch gave detentions, with a blood quill." Sirius's anger enabled me to deflect his last interrogation. I quickly covered up. I was so glad I had a long sleeved bath robe. Then again Lilaea obviously needed to hide these scars too. Getting my wash bag, and clothes I looked at Sirius, "Did you get what you forgot?" I was already heading toward the bathroom, before he had a chance to answer.

Of course as I had left to avoid the conversation, I now had the hassle of undressing while keeping the outer layre of clothing on. There was no way I was removing my robe though, as I didn't want anyone else to see my scars. To the side of four washbasins there were some built in shelves, again in the dark nearly black colored wood. Did someone decide all furnishing will be these two colors and wood this third, and now we move onto the next house for its only allowed three colors? I wanted to have words with that someone. Placing my clean clothes on one shelf, with my wash bag on top, I started on the new undressing skill to learn.

I placed yesterday's chemise on the shelf below my clean clothes, and the bra I removed after, went beside it. I had lucked out, or maybe these thing are easier to unfasten than close, as just pushing the two sides together, yielded the two clips to disconnect. Having got that taken care of, I actually took a moment to look at the mirror, and the girl that was in it; looking back at me. I ignored the inane chatter the mirror provided, as I had more important things to concentrate on. I mean while hiding in the D.O.M. I could ignore the elephant in the room. I had been doing a pretty good job from the sorting through last night too. However, stood in a bathroom in front of a mirror, it is no longer possible to ignore what has changed.

Wow but my hair is long. I will not be attempting a shower this morning. I wonder how long it will take to wash my hair, and will it be strange if I cut it all off? Yes I know, I noticed something before my hair, but as those are now mine. We won't be talking about them, and long hair is as good a distraction as any. There was also a weird dichotomy of there both being very little there, and far more than wanted on myself.

Azalea entered, and proceeded to clean her teeth in the sink beside me. I decided to do the same, as I could clean my teeth without having to discard the robe. She splashed her face, and waved bye while toweling it dry. As she had likely cleaned before bed last night, and slept she must not have felt as grungy as I did.

Loosening the robe, and with net sponge thingie, and some kind of cleaning agent. I mean, I had discovered both good, and bad news in regards to my wash bag. The good news was it thankfully had some kind of expansion charm on the inside of it. Without that charm it probably would have needed to be the size of a small suitcase. The bad news was, it had some kind of expansion charm on the inside of it.

There is no bar of soap in the wash bag. I know a wash bag that you could pack the contents of a suitcase in, and not one bar of soap in it. There are numerous bottles instead. So I wasted some time reading each of these 'till I narrowed down the possible soap substitute, to being one of three of them. I knew the shampoo, and conditioner were for my hair obviously, but there were still more than a dozen bottles after those were removed from the counting. My three possible candidates for soap were, a hand wash, a body wash, and a body scrub.

First off, were hands not covered in the same skin that was covering everywhere else? Did they truly warrant their own cleaning agents? Next, was the body scrub to be used if you got really dirty? Further, as there were both lotions, and creams for hand, and body, why wasn't there a hand scrub too?

Well I chose the body wash, and figured as I would have to use my hands to get it on my body, the hand wash could sit pretty in my wash bag until I ran out of the body wash. That way the product would last twice as long, and I would be using the correct one half the time, verses the wrong one all the time. That is of course based on the assumption that the body scrub was not the soap substitute. If it was then I had failed completely.

Rinsing off my face, and upper body with my patented sink bathing, sure I got yesterday's skirt a bit wet, but I was changing that anyway. Some of my hair got wet, but that should dry eventually. The mirror had all kinds of mean things to say about my method of cleansing. I wondered how long I would have to ignore it, before the thing shut up. If I didn't need seven years bad luck, I would be hexing the wall full of mirrors as they weren't of any use. I mean one upside of this new body is I would never have to shave again, so the mirror was completely unneeded, and far too vocal.

* * *

The first years were all in the common room at six-twenty. I was surprisingly less tired than most of the rest looked. Which was pretty good for having had no sleep, in who knows how many days. My stomach was giving me a bit of grief though. I think it was schizophrenic, as it seemed really hungry but… Oh. I swallowed the bile of a near throw-up. Yeah, note to self don't think of the "f" word.

I had just cast the tempus charm for the fifth time this morning, and in the air it was displaying it to be six-thirty-seven, when I was aware of Zabini approaching. Quickly moving to the far side of a seat I scowled, and made sure my wand was clearly visible, instead of putting it away, as I had been about to do. I wanted there to be no ambiguity in ensuring he knew I wanted him no closer. "After the meeting would the lady grant me the pleasure of her company for breaking our fast?"

"No!" I scowled, and moved away toward the wall next to the stairway to the girls' dormitories. I had to unfortunately stay in the common room, but as long as I could accept a little chill, I didn't have to be near the rest of them. Daphne joined me, barely a few moments later, coming from where Malfoy and his goons had been prowling. I blamed Snape for this morning. Then his little sycophantic godson had to open his mouth. He was talking supposedly to Zabini, but loud enough for the room to here. "One shouldn't treat them politely. My Father say's Hogwarts is going to the dogs since Dumbledore was put in charge. We will have flying lessons on used brooms." He then proceeded to rant about the other things that were not up to the 'Malfoy' Standard. Finally he moved away, followed by his posse, and his voice level decreased in volume 'till I could easily ignore it.

Daphne seemed more bent out of shape than me. She had flashed her eyes angrily as soon as Malfoy's rant started after the Dumbledore throwaway comment, as if she had been personally attacked. Her body had folded itself into the wall taking up as little space as possible, and trying to not be noticed. I had got the vibe of a wounded animal, so held off, on offering her comfort. Tracey and Azalea joined us, and stood between us and the rest of the room, and I felt a lot more comfortable.

It was nearly thirty minutes later, and the rest of our year mates had succumbed to the seats in front of the fire when the male fifth year prefect finally showed up. "Right for those of you who have already forgotten, I am Warrington Druewers the fifth year prefect. Now we are running late, so let's go." He then headed straight for the wall, door, thingy, and it opened for him. Did he forget to tell us how to do that? Earlier a few of the first years had tried to get it to open, in case we were supposed to. What with it being so far after the supposed meeting time. It didn't open for any of them. It had opened when older year students had approached it though, and I hadn't identified what they were doing to make it open.

Like good little goslings we raced to catch up with his longer strides. I think the wait, and then the sudden arrival, and exit, had caused us to startle, like deers do, in cars' headlights. He was already turning the first corner, and I know I was basically running at this point, as were I'm sure the rest of us. I did however, even at the near jog, start to make a mental map from the dorm to, I assume, the Great Hall. I mean it would be nice to have been told ahead of time, what this meeting was for.

The four of us were at the rear of the group, and just finishing the last stair before the entry way that was imposed upon, by the twenty foot Great Hall double doors, and I think Druewers had forgot he was leading us, as he turned and started talking to some unknown elder, to us, Slytherin. We sort of all looked to the door, wondering if it was okay to leave, and then back at the two talking boys. He hadn't said where he was taking us to. We all were waiting for the first, to take the initiative and leave, but weren't willing to be the one to get in trouble for wandering off.

Suddenly Druewers became aware of us standing there. "What are you waiting for? Don't you want breakfast? Rosier will be taking you to your first class in a few minutes."Most of the boys had charged off as if they'd not eaten in weeks. Tracey and Azalea chaffed a bit toward Daphne, and myself, but stayed with us as we walked to an empty spot at the Slytherin table.

"Miss Greengrass." I looked up to see Snape, stood at the end of our table. I made to get up when he looked at me with distaste. "The 'other' Miss Greengrass." I was not sure if he would have done the same to Daphne, if she had reacted first. A sort of private joke on twins, or if he really despised me. Well I was quite happy to not have anything more to do with him, and he definitely wasn't on my friends list.

"Our schedules." Daphne said, sitting back between Tracey and me, after she had likely delivered the schedules, to the other first years. Was Snape going to select a random student from each year to hand them out? "We've got Transfiguration then free, a break then followed by History and Charms before lunch."

"Who do we share the classes with?" Azalea asked leaning into me to get her schedule.

"Ravenclaw for Charms, Hufflepuff for History, Transfiguration with Gryffindor." Daphne replied while giving each of us a schedule. I noticed we only had one class on Friday after lunch. That was the end of the good news though. The one class I had hoped that could be put off until next week like potions, wasn't. Our last class of the day was DADA.

* * *

I must have caught a stomach bug because most of the platters of breakfast foods were causing me a fair amount of nausea. I managed to eat a few grapes and drink a glass of water, but was quite happy that Rosier had arrived to show us the way to our first class. We left the Great Hall, and it was still mostly empty, so hopefully we wouldn't have to eat breakfast so early once we knew our way around. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, and early hours that had me out of sorts. I sure hope that was what was going on.

Being led back to the common room to get our books reinforced the route in my memory. I packed books for all four classes, so I could study DADA after Transfiguration. Most would likely plan using lunch break to fetch it instead. Returning to the common room Rosier once more like in the Great Hall ignored my sister, and I. She acknowledged each other girl, including an almost begrudging 'Potter'. After the wait until all the boys had arrived she acknowledged them as a group. Another oddity to add to the growing list.

With no words after greeting the boys she swung round, and we were off through the dorm exit. We followed the same path as this morning, and I now was comfortable with this route. From the entry, which was a lot busier as most students were either entering or just leaving from breakfast, we were shown the way to our first classroom.

The transfiguration classroom had wide desks, with three chairs in front of each. The front row near the oversized teacher's desk had four of these desks running across the room creating three aisle ways, from the front to the back of the class. The last two rows instead of four desks across, only had three. This was likely to provide an open area where the class door was. The Slytherins filed in, and I realized we had spread out and used the half of the class room away from the door. Thus short changing the Gryffindors when they arrived, a desk. We had used seven desks, while surrounding the unused eighth. This left them six desks.

Malfoy was up front closest to the windows, with a goon to each side of him, and a disgruntled Parkinson at her own table siting off-center to be as close as possible to him. The next row of two desks had us four girls sitting two to each. Bulstrode sat in the middle seat of the table behind us, and closest to the middle of the class, and Zabini and Nott had a desk each on the final row.

There was still quite a bit of time 'til transfiguration would be starting, so I ensured Azalea would be fine keeping my seat, while I enabled myself to be able to sit through the class. I'd seen a bathroom fairly close by on the way here. It was quite easy to backtrack to it. More mirrors to ignore, with their sarcastic taunting. Did the magic world put them there because they thought it would make the students be nicer to each other? A solidarity of humans verses charmed objects. Or was there a secret to getting them to be more polite in their opining. I would settle to have them just shut up. I wondered if the spell 'muffliato' would work on them. I think indistinct buzzing would be a marked improvement, if I couldn't get my complete desire.

I got back to the transfiguration class, and no Gryffindor had arrived yet. They likely got to eat breakfast at a reasonable hour. Uhg, this smell was going to be distracting. I needed to buy some breath mints from somewhere. I realized that obviously I was more sensitive to smell. The realization thankfully made me feel better, as I had been getting concerned what was wrong with this new me.

"Did you pass Daph, on the way back, Lils?" Tracey inquired from her desk aside ours, as I sat down. "Nope but it looks like there is still plenty of time." I replied. The door opened to punctuate my speech. It would have been really cool if it was Daphne arriving, but it was Granger. So she was still in Gryffindor then.

Hermione looked a bit intimidated finding the class full of snakes, but she bravely kept entering the classroom. She headed to the front, and sat on the opposite side of the class than that, the Slytherins had commandeered. Once seated she started a bit of a ritual of setting up her work area, quill, ink, parchment, and text book, moving each to its, I supposed, correct placement.

Muffling my mouth with my hand, I asked Sirius if he had some breath mints. "You don't know 'nova caeli'?" Sirius asked, and I shook my head. He jabbed his wand toward my mouth and stated, "Nova Caeli." Thankfully I could now breathe more easily.

Daphne got back a couple of minutes later and the Gryffindors began trickling in after. A few minutes before the class was due to start, McGonegall entered from the door behind the teacher's desk. As she sternly surveyed the class, the background chatter was quickly stifled. Dean Thomas, and Ronald stumbled in moments before they would be classified late for class. The stare McGonegall awarded them with thinned lips, would likely ensure they didn't cut it this close next time.

The class began as I had expected, with warnings from McGonegall to not mess about, and be extremely careful in utilizing this magic. A bit too much harping on the dangers of not respecting the field, and then the theory that might as well be classified differential algebra through the looking glass. There were times the commutative law could be partially ignored. The level of partiality was dependent on the casters concentration. Other times where a constant could, if the conditions were right, be variable except on certain days of the year. The exceptions to the rules carried on from there to the point it was nearly pointless to classify any of them as rules. Several times I was left wondering if this was the first class on theory, what caveats would be added in later years, and perhaps it would be best to just throw the theory out. Surely McGonegall doesn't go through the mental exercise of thinking of the applicable laws, the exceptions, the exceptions to those along with modifications, and their exceptions, prior to casting a single spell. It would take hours to cast, verses seconds.

Her practical spell work was fantastic to behold, but all too soon it was back to theory that was completely un-magical, except in it being rooted in a realm that logic despised. After more than forty minutes had gone, we were handed matchsticks.

I was just starting to carefully try to coax my magic to consider the spell, when McGonagall was beside me. "Miss Potter, I just finished belaboring the dangers of this subject! How can you recklessly cast the spell within seconds of me giving you your match? There was no time for you to diligently work through the theory of what you intended to do." Well maybe I have an excuse to why I don't cast the spell in the first lesson now. "The next time you will do it the correct way, internally going through the steps of the theory, and only then attempting to cast the spell." She reached over me handing a second match to Azalea, while taking the perfect needle.

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4500+ words - reviews appreciated


	6. Chapter 6

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

* * *

Chapter 6

After we left the classroom we found that Druewer had been waiting for us. He immediately started walking, and now trained in the understanding that instructions would not be provided, we followed. I carefully placed my fist into my book bag, as we near jogged after him. After confirming no one was paying me any attention, I opened my fist, and then removed my hand, leaving the five matches I had pilfered, in the bag for later practicing. McGonegall had warned us to not practice the spell out side of class, but study the theory instead. To ensure those two items she had assigned us homework on the theory, and tried to carefully get all the matches back. She obviously didn't succeed on one of those two tasks.

"After your History of Magic class, which for you lot will be right after first break, Charms will be in this class. Remember it, because no one will meet you at the library to bring you back to it." He pointed at an open door, and continued walking fast right passed it. There was no time to look into the classroom, and barely time to note the door in relation to the corridor.

A few minutes later, and he pointed a head at another door down the corridor to the right. "That second door on the right, will be where your History of Magic class will be. Now, hurry up!" He whirled off in a third direction. We went up one, and down another staircase followed by three twists, and he pointed again. "Go up this staircase one flight, turn left then go 'till it reaches a dead-end, and turn right. There will be only one door ahead, which will lead you into the library. Rosier will show you the defense against the dark arts classroom by picking you up from the Great Hall fifteen minutes before the end of lunch." He darted off, likely to his own class, leaving us to finish traveling the rest of the way to the library to use during our free period, and first break.

I was surprised he had bothered to offer any instructions. With how it had been before I would have expected a terse 'be in the Great Hall before one p.m.' and no mention of why, or who would meet us there. Then we would have been left waiting for half an hour, 'till the actual time Rosier would have arrived fifteen minutes prior to our one-forty-five class.

* * *

Hogwarts Library I discovered occupied four floors. As first years we didn't have access to three of them. However, the one we did have access to, was a treat for any bibliophile. The main entrance had eight huge tables each capable of sitting sixteen students with plenty of space to pile reference books around. It has two main wings. One each to the left, and right of the central library area. The forbidden section is a third wing on the main floor directly behind Madam Pince's desk. The forbidden books, some chained to their section of the bookshelves, can be seen between the closely spaced iron bars that run from floor to ceiling across the other wise open wing's entrance. There is a locked gate in the middle of this barricade for access. On either side of the opening to the forbidden wing are flights of stairs. One leads down to the two levels below, and the other provides access up to the mezzanine that hangs overlooking the center well of the main floor.

I can't wait 'till I am fourth year and have access to the mezzanine. There appear to be numerous more private areas to meet, and study. Of course more books too. There are also tables aside the windows that provide the daylight to the center atrium of the main library level. Being able to study while looking outside at the Black lake, and surrounding mountainous scenery of the wilds of Scotland will be fantastic.

The left wing of the main hall has books on history, charms, hexes, and curses that are borderline grey to light dark. It also has books, and books of introduction into Ancient Runes. The different languages go from Elder Futhark, Norse Lower, and Higher, Celtic, Germanic, and then on into those even more esoteric.

The right wing has reference books for Transfiguration, DADA, Potions, and Arithmancy. To either side of where you enter there are two smaller rooms, or sub-wings that traverse along the hallway used to access the library. One sub-wing provides access to books on Herbology, Divination, Magic Creatures, and Astronomy. The other is the one Sirius dragged me into, having found me amongst the book shelves of the Ancient Rune's section. I just had time to take my four new books with me.

"You won't blend in in as first year, if you try to check those books out, you know." Sirius taunted me.

"Says the girl that transfigured her match into a needle so fast, she has been already chewed out by a teacher, and she has only had one class." I riposted.

"I never thought I would say it, but I think McGonegall is biased. James did the same thing, and got five points for Gryffindor. Also just before our class ended, Hermione got two points for making it look slightly metallic. She was also praised before the whole class."

"Yes, but your 'Dad', had eleven years of living in the magical world to learn the theory. You've only had last night's teaching from me." I said this due to noticing that a few students were listening as we stood beside the archived periodicals. In fact at one of the tables was Hermione pretending to be studying, and definitely listening.

Sirius realizing what I was doing thankfully, replied. "Much good it did me. I couldn't lay claim to that tutoring, as you pretended to not be able to cast it!"

"Azalea, no new student wants to be labeled the teacher's pet. Nearly half of the Slytherin first years were holding back. House of the cunning and ambitious. Never let another know what you really can do. You must try to not look too good so the competition underestimates you. You also make friends more easily that way too."

"I guess that is true. If you appear too much smarter than everyone else your age, the jealousy will prevent any chance of friendship to happen." Sirius replied obviously knowing who I was trying to help, and rewarding me with a wonderful smile to let me know he approved, and appreciated what I had done.

I had just located the Daily Prophet dated November third that had a screaming Sirius Black in prison clothes when Sirius suddenly said. "So you will be holding back today in DADA, and Charms then too?"

"Well, I might have difficulty holding back in Charms. My magic is too in tune that it is an effort to not cast. I guess I will pick that one class to excel in, and hold back in the others. You've obviously picked Transfiguration as yours."

Sirius was smirking about something that would likely be embarrassing to me. "You sure you don't want to choose DADA as the subject you chose to excel at?"

"No I think not, any way I found an article…

"You might change your mind." Sirius cut me off with a sing-songy voice, and I could see this was going to be bad. "We have DADA with Hufflepuff. I am sure you want to look good for a certain 'puff."

"Do you want my help on this, or shall I leave, and get back to my Runes?" I said, not in the slightest impressed with Sirius.

"I want to have a second subject we can allow ourselves to be good at. Please let it be DADA, so you can teach my brother."

Oh now I see where Sirius was going with this. He wasn't actually trying to tease me. Well he was, but that was just a secondary bonus. He really was trying to use this as an excuse to get started helping Harry. "You can have your second be DADA, I am going to have Runes be mine."

"We don't even have Ancient Runes 'till third year, and I need you to teach him defense."

"I'll teach it to you, and you can teach your brother." I replied to get out of this pickle.

Sirius actually sulked. "Any other girl would be so interested in the boy-who-lived that they would jump at the chance to tutor, and maybe get him as her boyfriend."

"Well this girl is only interested in the boy-who-lived's sister." I then blushed as I suddenly realized how that could be mistaken, and I had said it where quite a few people will have heard too. "Article now, or I leave." I growled in annoyance of where this had caused me to end up.

"But you can't leave a girl after making such a..."

"Azalea, if you want my help!" I glared at Sirius to get him to drop the teasing.

Within only a few peaceful minutes, as we got to searching for articles in the old periodicals, Sirius still had to push the issue. "I guess if you have two different subjects you pretend to only excel in, from my two, we could give him a strong foundation in four subjects." Thankfully he didn't go too far this time.

We found several other articles around the date, and it appeared that there was no change, and a Sirius existed in Azkaban. That of course will cause an issue when Diane Smith does not show up on the Express next year. However, we can worry about that problem next year. Now we have to capture a rat, and free a man from jail. I must really force myself at all times to think of Azalea as the girl she is now, complete with her name, or I will mess up.

* * *

Azalea finally left to look up her own things, and I found a desk in the Ancient Runes area that enabled me to see if anyone was approaching. I unhappily got down to some more DADA studying. I covered the book with one of my rune books, when anyone approached. I also used the rune books as a reward to keep forcing myself in studying defense. I got in a solid forty minutes, and hoped that it would be good enough. Hopefully with the combination of Quirell's stutter, and Riddle's desire to sabotage the teaching of DADA, I had with today, and last night's study enough information to not let Azalea notice I didn't appear to have four years of experience in the subject.

Wanting to beat the rush trying to check out at the end of the break, I headed for the raised desk that enabled Madam Pince to survey her domain. There were only two students in front of me. Therefore the wait was only about three minutes, but by my turn there were seven students behind me. So I had been correct to expect a rush. From her raised seat she peered down at me, as I stretched my arms up to get the six rune books onto her counter. Hogwarts was rife with power plays to make students be easily intimidated by the staff.

"Miss Greengrass, first years can only check out six books, and you won't be taking Ancient Runes until third year. Don't you think you should check out books you actually need for homework? You will need to check out two books if you plan to do well on your Transfiguration homework, and another one for Charms, as I know what they assign as the first homework."

"Unless there is a rule preventing me from checking out these book, these are the ones I want." I coldly replied, while staring at her. If she didn't let me get them, I would need to spend most of the weekend in the library. I already had the reference books for the Transfiguration homework, and I bet I had the ones needed for Charms too.

I didn't seem to be doing too well making friends with the staff, but I had more important things to worry about. She handed me my books, and I placed them into my book bag before turning to leave. Thank the gods for weightless charms, or I wouldn't have seemed as casual picking up my book bag, and walking through the tables toward the exit. Where Azalea waited, smirking.

I could feel Madam Pince's eyes watching from behind her raised desk, along with looks from some students at the tables that had heard the altercation. I ignored it, and Azalea's smirk, as she fell in next to me leaving the library. We were almost to the first flight of stairs when we were called at from behind. "Hey sister, wait up." With Tracey, and Daphne joining, the four of us descended the stairs. "So the whole deal with checking out those Ancient Rune books is you need more information to get the wards working? Even though I would be happy with the ward you put up on your room last night." Daphne inquired.

"I couldn't get it stabilized to run passive. Thus, the books for research into it." I replied.

"You stayed up all of last night just to keep the ward up!" Daphne grabbed me, and looked at me closely.

"No I stayed up last night tinkering, and experimenting, and keeping it up. Thus, I knew I needed some more books. Hence, I checked them out. I will hopefully be able to get both sets up. Both on your, and our room tonight." I corrected her.

"I would have been happy with the simple one you placed up when needed at home, silly. Please don't avoid sleep. You know we must be careful of our health." Daphne said, while hugging me. "You also need to take better care of your hair. Hm, I guess a pony tail will be better than nothing." She proceeded to brush my hair despite my protests.

"Thanks Daph, and I am so close to a really strong ward. You know how I get. I was too excited to sleep last night, I am fairly sure I can get it up tonight, and we will be completely protected, which we need." I said, and it seemed to appease her, as she used one of her nicer extra accessories to tie my hair up. She tied the high pony tail with a pale blue silk ribbon.

"We need to get to class." Tracey interrupted us. The four of us continued to class so as not be late.

* * *

"Azalea, Miss Greengrass, Heiress Greengrass, and Miss Davis may I introduce you to Heiress Bones, and Miss Abbot?" Harry said, while grabbing Azalea from me, and hugging her like he hadn't seen her in a week. We all met each other formally giving the Potters some time together.

"Wow brother, I never thought I would hear you speak like a pure blood" Azalea said. Obviously as surprised as me at Harry's greeting. "However, you should have addressed Heiress Greengrass first, even though Lily's my friend."

"Well Heiress Bones was right to tell me how to greet you, as for you to correct me, you must have learned it from Lil..."

"Miss Greengrass; Miss Potter must have learned it from Miss Greengrass." Susan interrupted Harry from messing up. "We saved you some seats. " She continued, and indicated two tables in the back corner of the class.

We sat four to one table, and three to the other. Azalea joked with her brother that he was starting to build a harem. There appeared several boys in the class that were concerned he was trying to do just that, as also it appeared a few girls that were upset they weren't in the mix up too.

The ghost began to lecture not really paying attention to the class. He didn't complain at the rearranged furniture at the back corner of the class. His monotone was as boring as I had expected it to be.

I rose an eyebrow at Susan to get her attention, deciding to comment on how she had orchestrated the seating. "Heiress Bones, are you trying to set up Miss Abbot, with the boy who lived?" I quietly inquired. The reason for this, was as the two tables had obviously been pushed together, with Hannah sitting at the edge of hers, she was actually now next to Harry at the edge of ours.

Harry sat with his sister between me and him, talking to both girls that were thus his neighbors. Hannah was a little flushed, but still gamely carried on talking to Harry, and sometimes across him to Azalea. The three of them in their own little sub-group of ours. I could see in Daphne's smirk to me, prior to her returning her attention to gossiping with her friend, Tracey, whom she was sat beside, that she too had worked out what was going on. It would appear only the two being set up as a couple, were clueless among the seven of us.

"Miss Greengrass, please call me Susan. I was fairly sure that your interest was in a different Potter. Do you want to throw in your hat, too?" Susan calmly replied. Wow, but rumors travel fast in Hogwarts. I had only made that slip up just slightly over an hour ago.

"Thank you Susan, and please call me Lily, and no, I am happy in where I am sitting, thank you." I replied, then jumped as Susan placed a hand just above my knee, where my school skirt's hem had risen due to being sat down. I'd forgotten to straighten it again after sitting causing it to have raised up higher than I would have liked.

"As am I, Lily." Susan told me, and my face went scarlet, as her hand moved. It would appear that Susan's seating arrangement wasn't completely altruistic, and a third person had been clueless to it.

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3000+ words - reviews appreciated


	7. Chapter 7

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

* * *

Chapter 7

I didn't hear many words of the lecture from Cuthbert Binns, in my first History class. I didn't take any notes either, as initially my hands were fairly busily occupied to not be available to hold a quill. Madness followed, it was a bad lesson, but Charms was worse.

During our hand battle, Azalea often glanced over at the two of us, and provided absolutely nothing more than smirks, to my annoyance. I was waking up to the fact that being friends with a marauder, would likely be highly embarrassing, to me.

"Susan!" I growled as loudly as I dared, while clamping my thighs as tightly together as I could, to stop her advancing hand once more. Once more! Hell that gives the impression it had only just started, and was an odd occurrence. I should say hundredth more as I had lost count. As being quiet, and using my hands, and body had not seemed to deter her, I had decided to call her on it.

"Yes dear, 'Lils'?" Susan innocently replied, and looked over at me.

"Your hand." Was the limit of my ability to string words together. I was too frustrated to even provide a sentence. She had a nickname for me already.

"What, this one?" She waved, with her other hand. "The other!" I nearly yelled, but thankfully reigned the volume in, just prior to utterance. Binns droned on in the background. Most students slept, Azalea probably wished she had popcorn.

"Oh sorry, that one seems to be stuck. Could you loosen your hold on it?" Somehow, she made it appear my fault.

"You'll remove it?" I hopefully asked. "Of course, Lils. I will only do what you want. You want me to remove it?" Susan asked, smiling at me. "Yes." I told her, while looking into her hazel eyes. I released my thighs hold on her hand, and yelped as her hand raced up my leg.

My chair crashed into the rear wall of the class as I frantically stood up to escape. I had just straightened my skirt when the awoken class looked over to see what was going on. "What is your name Miss?" the ghost asked me.

"Francine Defoe, I am sorry sir…There was a rat."

"Um… Well, even though that is understandable, I will have to talk with your head of house. Nancy Deburg; you're in Hufflepuff?"

"Yes sir, and I am sorry for the disruption."

As Binns returned to probably the exact point in the earlier mid-sentence I had interrupted him at, a few 'puffs tried to tell him that I was a Slytherin. Thankfully he ignored them. With any luck by the end of the lesson he would even forget to inform Professor Sprout.

"So I am a rat?" Susan asked as I picked my chair up, and after my nod. "I don't think I've been so insulted before."

"You lied!" I quietly snarled, taking the time to sweep both hands under my skirt as I sat, then straightened the top this time to ensure it fell over the top of my knees.

"So Francine, you're in Hufflepuff?" She asked while I grabbed her hand before it could get near my leg. "It was Hufflepuff that caused the disturbance." I replied, while fending her second hand off with mine. Our first hands were clasped, and straining in a reverse tug of war.

"If you let me reach you then I bet I would find you wanting."

"It's not appropriate behavior during class."

"I have a free class period after this. The two of us could go somewhere together." Susan replied.

"I have Charms next, and I think we need to go somewhere as a group, and talk. Actually learn about each other."

"If we were not alone then you would say it is inappropriate behavior. I notice you didn't deny you wanted me."

"Susan, you are beautiful, but I know nothing about you."

"Then meet me, after last period. We end the day with double potions. We could walk around the lake."

"How many frees do you have before potions?" Azalea finally jumped in, letting me know she had been more than willing to sit back and watch the show, instead of helping earlier. She was however, paying complete attention now.

"Just the one and lunch, we have DADA with you first after lunch so you should have been able to work it out, Miss Potter. Are you now challenging me? You are remiss in your etiquette; I should punish your tutor." Susan stated with aplomb. Of course I was on the hook, though in reality Azalea had been my tutor for this pureblood nonsense.

"Heiress Bones, 'Lils' will fill you in on what you will need to know before potions, while I tell Hanna, and my brother." Azalea then quickly turned to them to clue them in on just how much studying they would need prior to that class.

Most of the rest of the class had me finally able to distract Susan as she frantically panicked about the double potion period. Then realizing I needed to clue Harry in even more, I interrupted his and Hannah's study session from Azalea. "Oh, and Mister Potter, Snape is a legilimens. You must not look him in the eye, or he will know what you are thinking.

"He went to school with your Mom, and Dad. He hated your Dad, and as you look just like him, he might take it out on you. Make sure of the first seven chapters that you concentrate on where it describes the key ingredients of the potions, as that could be a place he could easily ask a verbal question. Also plants have often different names so see in the index if there is any cross reference of names. Just in case he uses a different name from that called out for the reagent listed in the potion ingredients. Also check if there are any details or requirements on harvesting reagents." I couldn't quite work out how to accidentally help him, with the bezoar more than I had, I didn't even know if it was mentioned in the potions text book. Hopefully, Snape was asking legitimate questions, and Harry might now be able to answer two of the three.

"You think Professor Snape is going to shoot off random questions during the first class?" Susan asked clasping one of my hands in worry.

"He told us last night we needed to know the first seven chapters verbatim, and understand all the referenced books from the potions text. I would think that means random verbal questions, and I think it is possible he could hold a grudge with the boy who lived. It would be just like him to attack someone to make an example to the class. With the fame associated with the boy who lived, coupled with his hatred for Mister Potter's Dad, He is the most likely to be picked on. Remember, if you look him in the eyes he is more likely to know which question you don't know how to answer, and chose to ask you that."

Azalea grabbed my free hand, probably to warn me to not give away too much information that I shouldn't know. Susan squeezed the other hand she still held to get my attention back.

"Lils, from what I've heard, you are a charming protégé. As you have Charms covered, couldn't you skip the class to help me, and the boy who lived, prepare for our double potions torture?" Now how to get out of this, I'd exhausted any help I could on potions already. I just knew that after mentioning I can't miss my class, she will rope me up for lunch time studying.

"I'd settle for any spell that allows me to be ignored." Harry interrupted our conversation. It seemed I had not managed to get Harry to realize the importance of how much Snape was going to pick on him. At least Susan was worried, hopefully she would get him ready.

"I could teach you the disillusionment charm." Azalea told Harry. Then obviously realizing what she had said, added. "Lilaea taught it to me, last night."

"That's an auror, and hit wizard taught spell Lils. My Aunt refused to teach it to me. Can you teach it to me?" Susan asked me.

"Susan, you need to concentrate on getting ready for potions. I think you will study better for it if I go to my charms class."

Azalea leaned over and whispered to me. "After DADA if you show me how to get to that DA meeting room, I've heard so much about. I'll teach it to you, so you can teach your girlfriend after her potions class."

I whispered back. "What is the incantation for the disillusionment charm?" I knew I had to twirl my wand around myself to cast it on myself, verses tapping someone on their head to cast it on someone else. Hopefully, I could work it out myself, as I am generally gifted in charms. It would all depend on if it counted as a defensive, or an offensive spell. I needed to find the room of requirement. Then I could show Azalea that I knew where it was.

"There are two, 'Defrustrationes Deflectere Asecelare' is used if cast upon yourself…

"What are you two whispering about?" Susan interrupted. She didn't like I was giving my complete attention to Azalea.

"Lily was just making sure I remembered the charm correctly before I taught my brother incorrectly." Azalea replied.

"Don't you want to teach me, Lils?" Susan pouted. "Miss Potter, why don't you answer Lil's question aloud? I would let you call me Susan."

"What teach you how to be invisible, so you could attack me when I didn't know you were there?" I interjected.

"I would never attack you with it Lils."

"I will remove my hand Lils." I quoted back to Susan.

"I said, I will never do something you don't want Lils…

"… and if you decided I wanted to be jumped? No don't answer that." I quickly said, seeing Susan's eyes light up.

"Lils asked me to tell her the two forms of the disillusionment charm Susan. Which are 'Defrustrationes Deflectere Asecelare' when casting on yourself with a swirling wand movement around your body like this." Azalea demonstrated the wand movement, and spell. She nearly vanished from sight. There was a slight flicker around the edges of where she sat. Casting finite she reappeared.

"The second is harder, and I can't do it yet. It is used if you want to cast the disillusionment charm on another, or something. The incantation is 'Celatse Afrustrationes Deflectere' and you do it by tapping your wand on the other person's head. You know they have worked on another if you can't see the person obviously. If you are the person to be disillusioned you know it works additionally when you feel as if an egg was broken on your head, and it's now slowly dripping to cover your entire body. Oh and Susan, you may call me Azalea."

"Sister, when, and where did you learn those spells, and were you going to keep them from me?" Daphne looked completely pissed with me. Great Azalea dropped me in it, and I have to lie some more to my new sister of eleven years that I had no knowledge of.

"I was going to teach you last night, but all the stuff happened. I only learned them a bit ago. I sneaked them from a book I saw in Dad's study." I tried to appease her.

"Dad! When the hell did Father, become 'Dad'! We haven't been at Father's for months, and we were on show the whole time we visited last, so you couldn't have sneaked into his 'warded' study. With you acting American all the time, it's like you're back in your childish fantasy world again. The United States has no Princess Town. That was a made up story from our fired nanny. She was crazy!" Daphne fled the classroom, and Tracey glared at me while quickly grabbing both their bags, and then ran after.

Cuthburt Binns looked up from what he was regurgitating to us in his monotone, when the door slammed so he only saw Tracey re-open the door to leave. "Who was that?"

"Did you eat the Brunswick stew at breakfast Professor?" I quickly asked.

"Brunswick stew? You're Nancy Deburg, Hufflepuff."

"Yes sir, the food poisoning was done by goblins. It might be the start of another rebellion. You didn't eat the Brunswick stew at breakfast?"

"The goblins are poisoning Hogwarts?" the confused professor asked.

"Another Goblins revolt, revolting isn't it." I replied wondering if I could get away with this.

"A goblins revolt?"

"I think you were discussing one a moment ago sir." I crossed my fingers, please something go right.

"Nancy Deburg I don't know if you are deliberately trying to disrupt my class or if you are not, quite, all here?"

"Oh, thank you sir. I'm never all here. There's just so many places to be. Shall we get back to the lesson?"

"Nancy Deburg, it is not a good thing that I know your name already. I only bother to remember the troublemakers." He then proceeded to read out his notes once more. I guess only time will tell if I got away with it. Without my distraction I was left to worry about how I had royally messed up with that fib.

I was floundering to think of a way to recover, and the class ended with me having nothing. It would seem I had not just lost what little ground I had made previously in making up with them, for not warding their room last night, but had no clue how badly I had messed up our relationship. I angrily shoved my way out of the class ignoring Azalea, and Susan.

* * *

Charms class was ruined thanks to Azalea. Well it was my lie that had caused Daphne to be at odds with me. With how little I knew of this life that I had just been plopped into, it was fairly obvious that I would be found out lying sooner or later. I had sort of thought myself invincible with how easy my lying seemed to be working so far. Azalea wanted me to spend lunch ensuring Harry was ready for potions. I needed to escape because Harry would also mean Susan, and who knows what Azalea would try to pawn off that I had taught her next. Worse if my lack of knowledge in potions will make her doubt my lie that I had been a fourth year Ravenclaw. I was suddenly a lot more concerned over this house of cards I'd been building.

I had actually got up, and moved tables to get away from Azalea, and her pestering in the middle of the class. As I was persona non grata with Daphne and Tracey, I had sat with a Ravenclaw girl that was sitting alone. She ignored me, which was fine. Surprisingly Professor Flitwick didn't say anything too. Unfortunately, I was more visible to looks from the two I'd hurt in this new seat. At least I escaped the person responsible for my current hell. To think I was thinking this would be a great class earlier.

Daphne and Tracey had shot glares that were painfully full of hurt, and jealousy. From their point of view I had been keeping secrets of magic learnt from them, and worse shared it with Potter the first evening I had met her. Then it would appear the reason the owl was sent to Tracey's Mom was because we didn't get along with our parents. Well our Father at least, and by me calling him 'Dad' it seemed I had damaged my relationship with my sister. The good news is I had unearthed some of the oddness and at least now knew we were somewhat estranged to our Father. I also apparently used to pretend to be American, complete with a 'fake' accent. I had as a child escaped the magic world in order to live in a fantasy one, and we had a crazy nanny that was fired? I thought that house elves raised the kids. Yes, it wasn't more useful information, it was more odd information yielding more questions. There was no good news.

As I didn't take anything out of my bag, and my new seat was closer to the door than the people I wanted to get away from. I was gone as soon as the lesson ended. Quickly running around three corners yielded a staircase that I had never used before. I climbed two flights, and carried on running. Then I saw a girls' restroom.

As soon as I confirmed the area around the sinks empty, I attempted to cast the disillusionment charm. I think after so many things going wrong I'd refilled my karma bucket, as on the first attempt I felt the spell as offensive magic, and an egg dripping over my body as my reflection in the mirror vanished. I could see a vague distortion at the edge of me, when I looked at myself. However, in the mirror I saw nothing, and there was finally no voice from the mirror making unwanted comments. As I had been distracted, and had actually managed to ignore the voice for once, I was left wondering if there had been one there talking before, and what happened as you became disillusioned in front of a talking mirror.

I opened the door and stepped back into the hallway. I was going to have to use my lunch break to find the room of requirement, as obviously I should know where that is, and Azalea might still want to go there after DADA. I would first have to find an area of the castle I actually knew. It might be nice to see some students to follow. There were none around me. A key note to self, be careful what you wish for.

Walking around disillusioned is not as easy as you think it would be. I had found students. The problem was, I had found too many. With students moving at different speeds, stopping, and changing direction when they see a friend or change their mind on destination, you have to walk with your head on a constant swivel to ensure no one bumps into you. Thankfully, either people were too busy to notice, or none could see the weird distortion at the edge of me that I could see. I had to exit the main staircase at one point to avoid three groups of students, and before I could get back on the flight of stairs, they had moved away. I decided to follow some students rather than wait for when the flight would return, and followed them to another set of stairs. Getting off when they did, and making the same turns I discovered that I now knew where the Ravenclaw dorms were. Well I will have, just as soon as I was no longer lost.

A lot of backtracking, and going up and down numerous flights of stairs, and I finally found the tapestry of dancing trolls. I was fuzzy at best in how it was located in relation to Ravenclaw tower or even the main entry way. So I hoped I could blow off Azalea as easily after DADA when she now has the knowledge that I might ditch her like I did after Charms class. I needed to make a more solid mental map of the castle before leading someone back here. I also didn't feel like forgiving her yet.

It was good I had found the room of requirement, because a quick tempus charm showed the time to be one twenty three. If I hadn't found it, I don't know if I could have got to the Great Hall in seven minutes. Thankfully I now had gained those seven minutes to try out the room.

Access to a room that could become anything, and I was stuck wondering what to do with it. Deciding I would just let the room improvise, I paced back, and forth thinking I wanted a room where I would most want to be. After the third pass a door appeared in the wall, and I opened and entered. I was startled by the room I walked into. Was this where I wanted to be most? I crossed to the window, and pushing the pale blue curtain to one side looked out toward my old US backyard. I could see the tree branches, still without leaves, thanks to the winter sunrise that had just started. There was the stump I had been tasked with digging up. It was still how I had left it on the Friday evening, before the Saturday from hell.

Oh, I was going to get a valentine card for later this week. Yeah right, even my next to no chance, was now impossible. I was in the past of an alternate world, and the wrong gender. I felt guilty about Diane and Susan. I wasn't even in a relationship with Diane, I was seriously screwed up. Also I was six years older than Susan, but I was in the past in an eleven year olds body. So Susan was actually older than me, she had been born years before me in a fictional book. She also liked girls, and I was lying because I used to be a boy. I was tied up in knots on this.

Turning back I looked at the room. The bed as usual wasn't made. The thick pillowy comforter was more on the floor than on the bed. Beside the bed, on the wall above the chest of drawers was a framed acceptance letter from Princeton University. Diane had framed it over a week ago and said I would get one too, and should frame mine when it arrives. The memory brought back all the pain that started me down this path. That reminded me to check the time.

Being two minutes late, I asked the room to provide a door to the entry way of the Great Hall. Once provided I stepped out through it, still disillusioned.

* * *

3800+ words - reviews appreciated


	8. Chapter 8

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

* * *

Chapter 8

The Great Hall doors were open, and children were entering, but more were leaving. As I approached I saw Rosier frantically looking for me. The rest of my year were already surrounding her. Based on how it seemed she disliked both Daphne, and myself I was surprised she was actually waiting for me. I had fully expected to have found she had left early as a chance to attack me for some past indiscretion on my prior controller of this body's behalf. Instead she seemed extremely conflicted. I decided to wait disillusioned. I didn't really want to interact with anyone, and now I had an excuse that I was interested to see what Rosier would do if I didn't show up.

A few minutes had passed with Rosier obviously getting more, and more frantic. "Davis, where is…" Rosier seemed like she really didn't even want to say my last name. How much did she dislike us? I watched Tracey look to Azalea, and then with more concern to my new sister. I know it was being petty but I really didn't want to interact so I stayed disillusioned while standing behind Tracey. What could I do so I wouldn't be responsible for the class arriving late? Unfortunately I was drawing a blank. There just wasn't anything I could think of to encourage them to move, without giving up my current freedom.

Upon giving up said freedom, I would have to explain where I was, what I was doing, and why I was using the disillusionment charm. I would also need to escape again after class. Also Riddle was on the back of Quirill's head, and avoiding contact with him until I've had time to get my Occlumency better has to be a good thing. At some point Rosier will give up on me arriving, and take everyone to DADA. If I then follow I can find out where the class room is for later then return to the room of requirement. Actually I should swing by the dorm and get my wards, and year three charms books first.

I shouldn't get into too much trouble for missing one class. I can say I was upset and ran off, and got lost. I finally realized the weakness of the tempus charm. One cast, and I out myself to those I am spying on. If magicals hadn't been so reliant on the charm then I might now be wearing a watch, and I could check the time. As it would be disillusioned with me no one would see me checking. Actually no that wouldn't work I wouldn't be able to see it. I held in a snort at my stupid thought, and waited for Rosier to leave.

"Tracey, we can't wait any more. I really must have hurt her. She isn't coming." Daphne's comment was not what I thought I would hear her say. I thought she was pissed at me.

"Miss Rosier, all the first years that are taking DADA class are here for you to show us to the class." Tracey calmly informed the fifth year prefect. The prefect looked like a huge problem had been solved and led off. I fell in behind the tail of the grouping.

I nearly broke my resolve to peel off outside the classroom, as just as I was about to go after Rosier had left us, I heard Daphne ask Tracey, if she thought I would forgive her. I steeled my heart thinking she must be saying it in the hope I am disillusioned, and would hear her say it. She didn't owe me an apology. I owed her one. Well Azalea did, but that would bring to light a whole heap more lies.

* * *

I'd entered the Slytherin common room, descended the girls' seven flights, entered my dorm room, and not only opened my truck, but the secret compartment too, before realizing I still didn't know how to open the common room door to exit Slytherin. Getting the book on wards, and the third years Charms book that were my reason for coming here first anyway, I added them to my book bag. Closing both the compartment and trunk, and getting to the common room, I went to find out if I was now stuck.

On approach to the wall, it slid open. So either we hadn't been added to some Hogwarts ward initially, or more likely there was a curfew on the younger years. I would have to check tonight to see if I could exit then too. Still disillusioned, this was officially my favorite spell, I headed for where I thought the room of requirement was. It took me nearly half an hour to re-find it.

I chose the mezzanine level of the library as my desire, and the room delivered. So I wasn't going to have to wait three years after all. Not only did I get the ward I wanted squared away, but I got both transfiguration, and charms essays done. The fake library had the reference books, and more that I needed for them. I also had transfigured a perfect needle, and had only wasted two of the five matches to succeed. My one bit of bad luck was I had a hard time casting the other version of the disillusionment charm. Apparently trying to make something else invisible was considered by magic to be defensive, and so the items I attempted to disillusion, at best, sort of mimicked a chameleon.

I then spent time studying ahead in transfiguration, DADA and getting my Occlumency shields stronger. I used the third years Charms text as my reward, and was nearly two thirds of the way through it. Thanks to Occlumency it was peaceful, and I let my built up stress bleed away. I found the shields stopped all the distractions, and worries from interrupting my studying. Where initially it had taken an effort to raise them it was now easier to keep the shields up, and they seemed to widen and strengthen themselves. I had been completely zoned, and had made huge improvements. I was over a week ahead in the two subjects I was weakest in, and optimistic my shields could at least warn me I was being mentally assaulted. That hopefully would be enough to make someone wary from being casually nosey of what was in my head.

A tempus charm informed that it was within minutes of dinner time. Knowing the dorm would likely be empty, but I still disillusioned myself just in case, and had the room provide a door entrance into the back of my wardrobe in our dorm room. As soon as I saw the room was empty I allowed the door to the room of requirement to close. It would be so cool if I could get a permanent entrance set up here. I liked the 'Narnia'n' idea. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no clue how to deliver on that dream.

As I was putting everything away I got my next karma balance check to stop me getting too happy. On my bed was a Victorian style maid's uniform. At least it was formal, with a good long to the ankle skirt of the dress. It also had just a standard cotton petticoat. So no frilly mesh nightmare. Then I thought everyone will be going to dinner, and if I know the disillusionment charm how could anyone know what I wore anyway. Beneath the uniform was a note.

Your uniform to be worn while cleaning the side of rooms identified on the following parchment. You are to clean morning before classes and evening before dinner. Dust the surfaces, make the beds, and mop the floors. See Miss Burke, Head Girl, for details on location of cleaning supplies.

From seeing the other pages I discovered that though I had to clean the whole of the head girl's room, the prefects shared with another person so I had only an additional six half rooms to clean. Well I was going to use magic, like hell would I do this the muggle way, charms were far too easy, and also I wanted this done while everyone was out of the dormitory so I couldn't waste the time looking for the supplies. I disdainfully locked the uniform and note in my trunk, and headed upstairs four flights.

I enjoyed my extra charms practice cleaning the areas I had to, as I ascended the girls' side to the common room. I also felt like I had been rewarded being told the secret entrance to the Head Girl's room, that was off the common room. Another door pretending to be a wall. All the girls' rooms had the same ward that would prevent a boy from entering as their only defense, other than locks on trunks, and the furniture, but that means the enemy is already in your room, so I wasn't impressed. The defense was rather daft for the prefects' rooms, as that ward was on the entrance to the girls' staircase anyway. Likely where they had copied it from. It was rather pedestrian protection.

By logic and symmetry I found the unused dorm from the common room that would be used if there was a Slytherin Head Boy. It didn't have a password set. So just turning the knob hidden behind the gas lantern caused the wall to open. I then descended and cleaned the boy prefects' rooms starting with the seventh years as I descended. They had no protection except on their trunks. There was nothing on the doors or the furniture. I had just finished the sixth year prefect's area when two boys entered. Obviously dinner had ended.

"Damn she already cleaned the rooms. I was hoping for added punishment as she didn't get them done before dinner." Well wasn't that lovely, 'screw you too,' I thought as I left through the open door.

I descended to the fifth years' floor but unfortunately had to let a boy and Druewer pass me. I thus followed them into their dorm and found it the worst of the lot. Druewer's dirty underwear was lying aside his bed on the floor. Why hadn't the house elves taken them for laundry like in all the other rooms?

"Did you really wank in them Druewer?" The other boy asked. Oh, and it gets even better.

"Of course I did, twice. I am going to enjoy watching her pick them up. I told you I wanted to keep them on this side so the house elves would leave them for the slut. Look mate, I'd cover for you, it would be both of our words verses just hers. You know what was said about the both of them. We could both have her, she probably needs it." Now I knew what to do. Both Druewer, and the other jerk were out cold before the friend could prove himself to be a jerk too. Two over powered stupefies while disillusioned for the win.

I banished the hazardous waste. The prick will run out of clothes, if he keeps them on the floor on his side of the dorm. I just stopped myself from snapping, and banishing their wands. It was a very near thing. A few more stupefies each, maybe I could get them to sleep for the month? I wonder if there is a chance of causing heart attack. Hell, I am sure they deserve it if it happens. Then I cast the spells to clean Druewer's side of the dorm, and left.

* * *

Returning to the first year girls' floor I saw my dorm door open. Looking in I saw all three girls that I currently really didn't want to interact with. Well now what should I do. I can't start drawing the runes on Daphne's room as my chalk was in this room. Even disillusioned I think they might notice me getting the needed supplies. Not having anything better to do I figured I may as well spy. Maybe I will get some information to help me from being caught in another lie.

I just stopped myself from entering the room in time. Oh, you sneaky bastard Sirius. 'Mister I don't know wards. Wards were James's, and Remus's area,' bullshit! The door left open so I think I could sneak in disillusioned, and bam stuck upside down to the ceiling, and wrapped in something. Oh an alert ward if I tried to unravel it too. How did he sell this to Tracey, and my sister? If he told them I taught it to him, they would state that it obviously wouldn't work as I would notice it. Why the hell didn't he offer this to be set up last night?

I don't know how long I took trying to work out how to bypass the alert, and unravel the ward before I realized there was something wrong with it. A moment more and I finally noticed there were actually two more wards further down the corridor that initially I had missed tied into the first. Even if I knew how to take down the alert ward without it tripping I would have to take down these other two first, at the same time. Each would otherwise alarm if its partner was brought down alone, or the initial alert ward was taken down ignoring these two. I was interrupted when I heard someone coming down the stairs. I quickly moved away from the trap, wondering where I should go. As soon as I saw it was Professor Snape I slammed my occlumency walls up, and moved even further away.

Professor Snape walked straight to where I had been standing. I knew he was aware prior to me shielding my thoughts that someone was there. Could I get beyond him and escape? I didn't like my chances.

He turned around. "Your occlumency is really good Miss Greengrass, you should keep it up at all times, as I know you are on this floor, due to someone's background thoughts vanishing. You had been standing there, when I arrived, and you then brought your shields up, and have to have moved further down the hallway. I also should have listened to your sister, who stated my ward wouldn't trap you, as you were gifted in wards. We are going to have an all Slytherin meeting upstairs. As you haven't managed to enter your dorm, and changed since you finished the cleaning, I hope I will find you in your maid's uniform when you drop your disillusionment charm.

"I also should point out that since the cleaning was done with magic that this evening doesn't count toward completing your punishment. Detention is punishment, as such it is to be done without using magic."

"Two things first Professor. One, as the use of magic was not clearly stated it couldn't be used, in both the letter I saved in my trunk, and when explained by the male fifth year prefect last night when it was assigned, you can not penalize me extra time, but just add one more day to the end." I called out, and Snape nodded. "Secondly, if this evening is a mulligan, and doesn't count then what I am wearing is invalid as this evening doesn't count toward my detention."

"Miss Greengrass please stay disillusioned. Let me remove my ward from your dorm, and return upstairs. If I give you two minutes after that, could you change out of the maid's uniform that I do not want to know you might not wearing, and into some other outfit, and join me upstairs?" Professor Snape asked.

As soon as I had said yes, I watched him drop the wards. I paid particular attention on how he dropped the paired alert ward. "You were right Heiress Greengrass. All three of you go upstairs, Miss Greengrass has agreed to change out of the maid's uniform, remove her disillusionment, and then meet us upstairs."

Once the four had left upstairs, I checked to ensure I couldn't see any other trap on the entrance to our room. I decided to not enter because I didn't have time to search, but my initial cursory inspection showed all the prior wards were gone and I didn't see any more. I dropped the disillusionment charm, and headed upstairs to pay the piper. As I climbed the last flight I heard Professor Snape saying I would be up after changing back into regular clothing, and that due to the fifth year boy prefect's mess up, my month detention would start tomorrow. I would not have any additional penalty. Further, Mister Druewer had received a warning, a second mistake in handling the duties of a prefect in the same month, and he would no longer be the fifth year boy's prefect.

I entered the dorm to see Druewer about to rant. His face was so red. "Sir, she cast magic at me while disillusioned, and hiding in my room. She banished items of my clothing. I demand recompense."

"The item of apparel was a pair of soiled skivvies that you said you deliberately left on the floor on your side of the dorm so the house elves wouldn't take them to launder. Every other person had placed any clothing to be laundered in the correct place so house elves would pick them up. I wasn't hiding in your room I followed you in. Once there before I could start to clean I heard you state that you had wanked twice into the filthy apparel, and placed them where you thought I would have to pick them up. I will banish any clothes I find on the floor. I will not touch them ever. You know where to place clothing to be washed. Further, you discussed planning on raping me. You're bloody lucky I didn't cut off your balls, and only stunned you. I will not clean your filthy pigsty, and refuse to accept you as a prefect. I demand that due to your actions tonight you should be warned. As it is your second you should have your prefect rights removed."

"Mipsy?" Professor Snape said, and a house elf appeared. He looked rather concerned over the large number of students present. "Call the elf that cleaned Mister Druewer's, and Mister Warren's room today."

"Tilly be good elf. I cleaned only Wizzie Warrey. Wizzie Drewie said not clean one month. Wichy Greennie clean." A second elf fell to her knees in front of Snape in abject terror.

"Tilly, was there a pair of dirty underwear on the floor of Mister Druewer's side of the room?"

Tilly shrieked, and wrung her hands. "Tilly leave as told. It on Wizzie Drewie side, undies with three wizzie all four."

Snape groaned in annoyance. "What is three wizzie all four?"

"Wizzie sweat, wizzie piss, no wizzie poop, and lots of wizzie baby maker."

"That will be all Tilly. Druewer, hand over the prefect badge."

"I demand a duel against Miss Greengrass."

"Miss Greengrass remove your claim. I am sure I will find something shortly to strip the prefect badge, which will not allow him to demand a duel from you." Professor Snape stated.

"I have been humiliated regardless of if the bitch removes her claim. You will find something to remove my prefect status anyway. I demand a satisfaction duel."

"Care with your language Druewer. I will not allow the duel. Miss Greengrass has just arrived at Hogwarts. You are a fifth year. Miss Greengrass remove your claim."

"While he is still the fifth year prefect, do I have to clean his room without using magic?" I asked really to give myself some time to think what to do. I knew I couldn't beat a fifth year, but he was so angry, and angry people make mistakes, and it might be worth the pain of losing a duel if I can get something.

"Yes, Miss Greengrass, you do."

"If I accept the duel, then win or lose he gets his satisfaction. I will likely get pain, and some humiliation. I think that this pathetic garbage detention that is always handed out to some unlucky first year to cow the rest of the form, should have to be done by Druewer. So win or lose of the duel I want the detention removed from me. If I win then Druewer should do the detention."

"Miss Greengrass, though you are in your rights to demand he finish your detention if you win, and even though you are a formidable first year student, you can't expect to beat a fifth year."

"If I lose, he still loses his prefect status. He just gets to beat me up in the arena to get some misplaced satisfaction. I am more than used to pain. However, win or lose I break the stupid hazing tradition that is bollocks. Further, I might get satisfaction that a perverted piece of crap is punished. I will not remove my claim."

"Stupid cunt thinks I can't hit her when she is disillusioned."

"Of course you can't hit what you can't see, imbecile." Let the moron think I am going to stand still casting a spell requiring three large words that even if successful then provides limited utility in a confined space.

"Both of you will curb your misuse of language, or will receive additional punishment. If we go to this duel, Mister Druewer, win or lose you are no longer the fifth year prefect, and I will write into your permanent student record that it was removed with extreme prejudice on the first day you were assigned prefect status. If you lose you will be doing Miss Greengrass's detention. This is your last chance to drop your challenge, and prevent such a permanent mark being placed on your record."

"I don't care. I am going to beat the snot out of the bitch."

"Druewer, you've gained two weeks of detentions for foul language. Miss Greengrass, will you please reconsider?"

"No, I will not sir. I would rather have a losing duel than be subject to hazing. I will not do the detention."

"Fine win or lose Miss Greengrass you don't have last night's assigned detention. There is however, detentions for missing your DADA class, for leaving the common room last night, and for disabling the curfew, and alert wards on the common room entrance. There will also be one for using the disillusionment charm in the corridors of Hogwarts. Headmaster Dumbledore last night in the opening feast stated that magic cannot be cast in the hallways. Finally for pretending you couldn't transfigure a match into a needle in your class this morning, there is a sixth detention. Do you have any questions on these new detentions?"

Taking a breath, and checking my shields were still up and holding strong I said. "I only acknowledge the first of those mentioned detentions, and mitigate that as I am new to Hogwarts, after running from Charms when I was upset, I lost myself in the maze of Hogwarts. If I hadn't got lost I would not have missed class. I have not cast a disillusionment charm in the Hogwarts corridors. After the prefects led us into the common room last night, I did not exit the common room until Druewer led us to the Great Hall this morning. I didn't disable the common room entrance curfew, and alert wards. I didn't even know they existed. Lastly after Professor McGonegall berated Miss Potter for transfiguring her match into a needle perfectly, I wisely judged she was biased against Slytherin, and held back in order to maintain the five rules of Slytherin."

"That is perfect. Please everyone take note of how a true Slytherin evades being caught. If I didn't have a few additional pieces of information that I as a Slytherin held back I would have to accept a strong well-reasoned excuse. It would probably work on all members of staff except the three other Slytherin Alumni. Even then she plays to my rivalry with the Gryffinder head of house, and moves that one successfully onto another's head. Most people know the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but here is a corollary, I can make a friend from my enemy by shifting blame of what I did onto their enemy.

"For that I will reduce the detentions from six weeks of menial cleaning without the use of magic, to twelve evenings of tutoring two classes, one hour each to your peers. You can decide if you want to do it over two, three or four weeks. However, Miss Greengrass I have one critique. You should try to not bold face lie. You're comment that you didn't even know of the wards on the common room entrance was un-needed it didn't help your case and it left yourself on footing that crumbles when I let you know they were actively monitoring all day. They recorded your last time exiting at one-forty-seven, yet here you are in the common room. I have to say you are a truly excellent liar. Even I would have been sold that you were telling me the truth without my additional knowledge."

I wanted to challenge the things I obviously hadn't done, plus I was fairly sure he couldn't prove I had cast magic in the hallways. I mean I was disillusioned in the hallways but I had cast it in the room of requirement, and a bathroom. I just felt that I was better off accepting tutoring, and not risk his ire if he thought I was undermining his authority. I didn't want to give up the room of requirement to prove I hadn't disabled his wards. I also would far rather tutor than clean the muggle way. "I would like it spread over four weeks, sir."

"What two subjects?"

"Sir, you had said it was two classes. I want to tutor Charms for first years, and Charms for second years." Snape actually laughed. Perhaps my relationship wouldn't be as bad as I thought it would be.

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4400+ words - reviews appreciated


	9. Chapter 9

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

* * *

Chapter 9

Professor Snape looked over at me again. I had lost count on the number of times he had asked me to drop the duel. When he explained ending criteria for the duel, he did get me worried, but I hope my occlumency stopped it from showing. Being a duel of satisfaction, neither party can give up. Snape can only step in if one of our lives is in danger. Even losing your wand, allows the opponent three more spells. I was worried that Druewer probably intended to use a sticking or binding type of spell to ensure I didn't lose my wand.

He then turned to Druewer. "You can only cast three spells after an opponent's wand is lost. They better be easily seen as ones used to prevent recovery of the wand or I will make you wish you were dead." I think Snape was bending the rules as best he could to help me. He then looked at me. "If you are in pain, and want healing you can drop your wand. The opponent can only cast three more spells as outlined before. Obviously no unforgiveables, but you better not use dark hexes that I think were used to torture. I am going to now raise the wards to contain the spells, I will then count off the duel's start."

We were stood thirty feet apart on the dueling platform. Professor Snape had erected the ward against overshot spells behind him to protect the rest of Slytherin house. There was raised seating filled with eager kids, all waiting to enjoy the spectacle. My only hope was that Druewer bought my lie that I was going to lead with the disillusionment charm. However, even if I lost, the pain was so worth it. I hoped I didn't end up with my wand stuck to my hand. I relaxed remembering my athame on my left thigh, beneath my wrap around skirt.

The moment the count ended my wand was casting. 'Gelida, Ambusti' I thought as I silently cast channeling all my rage and hatred for the slime ball, as I ran toward the left, and forward. The wand movements of both spells are minimal, and perfectly chain together. Druewer was just on his third syllable of his first spell. "Omnino Perdere!" was my first verbally cast spell instantly followed by the repeated wand movements, and thoughts of my opening salvo, 'Gelida, Ambusti.'

I had been right he had started with ropes to bind me. He had wanted to humiliate me, and likely prevent me from being able to drop my wand. He likely thought he could start with 'incarcerous', as though a long starting spell with only one short vowel, it was far shorter than the disillusionment charm. My freezing hex had got him from stomach to bollocks before he finished his first spell. He flubbed the last syllable due to pain, so the ropes were pathetic, on fire, and heading to a place I was no longer standing. He was still hunched in pain when the rest of my dark flames curse that blew through his ropes to hit him in the face. I had aimed for the torso as the largest target, and the height a cast object would likely fly from the wand toward me at, but he was lower when the spell arrived.

My spell to destroy his wand, hit high too. Partly due to his right arm falling as he crouched and swung it to cover his groin, and also due to my aim being off. It hit his right arm about midway between elbow and shoulder. The whole section of arm the spell hit was just… It was gone in a bloody explosion, the flesh, blood, muscle, bone and gristle instantly minced, and splatter sprayed against a corner of the snake pit, and the unlucky people sitting in that area of the room. The severed limb was flung forward and right of him and as it hit the dueling floor the wand rolled out. It was likely jarred loose from the hand during impact.

My second freezing hex, and dark flames curse were already cast while the prior spell was in-flight, and before I knew they weren't needed. They were however, aimed at the new location for the torso, as the lower height had registered before the two spells were cast. The freezing hex hit his right side from below kidney to upper thigh, while the fire hit the same side from below the ribs to what was left of the upper right arm.

My running brought me to his dropped wand that my spell had missed, which I snapped, and banished, before registering Snape was calling the duel over. Then Daphne was clinging to me, and apologizing. What was she apologizing for? I owed her the apology. I was the one who lied.

While professor Snape was casting one spell after another to keep Druewer alive, an older girl stepped up, and cast the sonorous charm on herself. "Prefects, and first years stay here. Everyone else, get out, get cleaned up, and behave! Rowle get blood replenisher potions ready. Wilkens get Madam Pomfrey. Avery be prepared to do anything Professor Snape tells you to do. The rest of you prefects leave, and make sure the rest of this house is behaving. First years sit down there. Heiress Greengrass you can stay with your sister." She then cancelled the sonorous, now the group was smaller, and there was significantly less noise to fight. She cleaned the few students that had chosen the wrong place to sit. The excited prior shouting was replaced with those silent moments when everyone is just waiting for something.

"I am Miss Burke, Hogwarts Head Girl, Slytherin seventh year. First you do all remember the five rules. No mention of what just happened here is to even be thought about let alone spoken outside of our house. Second Miss Greengrass was completely correct the one month detention is assigned to whichever first year was most noticeable during the sorting, and opening feast." She paused and looked around the whole room for something or someone." The choice is decided by the fifth year prefects, and as the house of Rosier, and the house of Greengrass are in blood feud the deck was heavily stacked against Miss Greengrass. This is the first time a first year worked it out, was able to cast the disillusionment charm to remove the hazing element, and beat the crap out of a fifth year student in a duel after just one day of classes."

Miss Burke turned to look at Daphne and me. "Heiress Greengrass is there going to be issue between either you or your sister, and the female fifth year prefect?"

"No, Miss Burke." Daphne replied. I was struggling with the whole blood feud I was suddenly party too. It partially explained Rosier's attitude. However, I couldn't understand the waiting after lunch.

"Uhr… No? Really, you have no issue?"

"Miss Burke, I, the Heiress of the House Greengrass find no fault in the fifth year female prefect. My sister was the biggest embarrassment to the Slytherin house on the opening night feast, and was the correct choice for the fifth year prefects, if that was a requirement of their position to chose. I don't believe the blood feud between our families can be argued to have been needed to be brought into play."

'Jeeze sis, are you that pissed at me,' I thought.

"Oh, well that's great. Miss Greengrass do you agree?"

"I have issue with the hazing ritual, shitheads like Druewer, but none so far against the fifth year female prefect."

"Miss Greengrass, am I going to have trouble with you antagonizing the fifth year female prefect?"

What the hell! Am I being called a bully? "I don't start trouble with anybody. I finish it."

"Lilaea, please, I am sorry, just stay out of this 'till you calm down. Miss Burke, please accept my apologies on behalf of my rude sister. I really hurt my sister today, she is not challenging you, but me. You will not have anything to worry about. I will calm my sister down. She will not cause issue with you or the prefects of Slytherin house, which includes specifically not antagonizing the female fifth year prefect."

Miss Burke gave me a wary look filled with doubt, and worry. She then swallowed uncomfortably before moving so she could still see me while partly turning back to the rest of the first years. Before she could start to talk Madam Pomfrey was hustling over to Professor Snape, and dickhead. Miss Wilkins arrived shortly after.

After the initial flurry of exchanged information waned, Miss Burke inquired. "Professor Snape do you need anything of the prefects or myself?"

Professor Snape had a silent conversation with Madam Pomfrey then said. "No have them get the isolation wards up for the first years along with getting them safely, except Miss Greengrass, to their dorms."

"Certainly, sir. Avery, help the other prefects keep order. Rowle, come back, and escort the first year boys after you have risen the isolation wards above the flight before their floor. Wilkins, do the same for the girl's floor." Miss Burke stated. I was amazed at not only how quickly everything was brought under control, but how fast the prefects jumped to start doing what they had been told. The first two had left, and Wilkins was about to follow within seconds of instruction.

"Miss Wilkens bring the opponent that cast the spells on Mister Druewer, too." Madam Pomfrey cut in, then turned back to treating her patient.

"Miss Greengrass is already here Poppy." Professor Snape answered into the silence from the request. As Madam Pomfrey actually turned away from her patient to stare at me, Miss Burke shooed Miss Wilkins into leaving after the other two prefects. I guess the conflict of different commands could cause perfection to be lost.

"Miss Greengrass wasn't hit by a single spell." Professor Snape added stopping Madam Pomfrey, whom had started to run toward me, and allowing her to return to the injured.

"Why?" Madam Pomfrey growled, and I had no clue how I was supposed to answer such an open ended question.

"I could not get her to drop the issue. You know our house rules Poppy, and considering she dominated the duel. He only cast one weak incarcerous that never had any chance of doing her any harm. Everyone of her multiple silent dark hexes, and curses hit, and she cast as vile an 'Omnino Perdere' as I've ever witnessed. It was wholly visceral powered. She was right to challenge my hand in trying to stop her."

"Visceral, and silently cast!"

"No, thankfully that spell she actual cast aloud. Miss Greengrass, please tell me that you know, and can cast the counter to the curse." Professor Snape turned to question me before Madam Pomfrey could reply to his statement. She seemed to be having difficulty reclaiming her calm. She must be thinking I'm some kind of monster. Snape made it sound like I was something I wasn't. I knew I had been lucky. I was underestimated. He had been too angry, and fell for my lie, casting the sort of spell I wanted him to start with. I had chose the shortest two spells that my magic loves. It was more my magic casting them then me casting silent spells.

"Miss Greengrass, do you know the counter to the curse?"

"I know it, but I am sorry sir, though I know it, my magic fights casting the spell. I had aimed at his wand. It wasn't meant to hit his arm." The excuse sounded rather empty to me, so I doubted they would like hearing it.

"Well you will have to step up, and put more effort into casting it then won't you? Come over here." Madam Pomfrey's eyes stared at me. "Miss Burke, get everyone else out of the snake pit. Lock it, and return, but stay over by the entrance. You are to be here just in case we need you to get something, but not too close that your magic can disturb what we are doing."

"Madam Pomfrey, please can I stay with my sister?" Daphne interrupted.

I uncomfortably shuffled to my indicated spot, while everyone except the four of us quickly left the room. My sister kept looking back at me in worry. I had not heard any reply to her request, but figured it must have been rejected somehow, seeing as she was reluctantly leaving. On the one hand I was glad, but on the other I felt vulnerable without her, and I was fairly sure she was completely on my side. If I had lived my eleven years with her I am sure I would be a lot more upset that she wasn't allowed to stay with me.

Professor Snape was squatted behind Druewer using his body, and his left arm to hold Druewer's back in a parody of a lounging sitting position. The patient was under a stasis charm to stop him bleeding out. Snape's right arm, even while holding his wand that was casting active healing spells, was acting as a bent splint holding the detached limb near to the point is was severed from, as best as possible. I could see the arteries and veins in the open hole of the upper arm. It is odd to see severed dilated blood vessles, with the body fluids sitting there, and not moving. There was about three inches of air gap between both sides of the limb to simulate the section of the arm I had destroyed absolutely.

"Miss Greengrass, you must drop the hatred, and dark emotions you held when you cast the spell. Offer forgiveness to Mister Druewer. Fill yourself with peace, and kindness. After I have got you to hold your wand based on where mine is pointing, you will keep casting the counter calmly again, and again until I tell you to stop. Keep casting, and feel the emotions for Mister Druewer I ask you to feel. Do you have any questions on what I have said so far?"

"I don't have a question exactly, but you don't know that he planned to rape me. I can't think forgiveness, and kindness for him."

"Miss Greengrass you will find away to think those feelings or you most likely will be expelled, and heading for a stay in Azkaban if you don't find a way to feel them. Now are you going to tell me you can't feel the emotions I request of you as soon as I ask you to feel it?"

"No Madam, I will try my best."

"No, Miss Greengrass you will feel the emotions for Mister Duewer I tell you to feel. If you are going to be casting dark magic viscerally then you will be learning from me an hour every day from now on how to heal the same way. You will not try your best, you will do what I think is your best. If this is what you achieve on your first day at Hogwarts then it is almost guaranteed that you will be in this situation again. I demand you learn how to heal, no matter how much you whine that your magic is stopping you, and you are not gifted in healing magic. I have heard it all before, and I don't care! I will not be wasting my time cleaning up your messes. Further, if you ever cast this spell silently, you will be on your own trying the impossible task of countering it. We won't be hung beside you when you fail. Slytherin protects its own, but we wash our hands of pointlessness."

* * *

I would have preferred to have been chewed out by both of them than having been forced to heal Druewer. Hell there were times I actually contemplated how bad could Azkaban actually be. Every step of the way I was at war with my own magic. It was like I was not only biting the hand that feeds me, but throwing it under the bus, and reversing the bus afterwards for that which had put itself on the line to protect me. Every step of the way I was being politely berated for not feeling unicorns and rainbows… Okay my sarcasm converted the actual names for the lovey-dovey, turn the other cheek, forgive and make love crap. Yeah, bloody unicorn poop, and rainbow shit!

The torn muscle, and key blood vessels had been knitted together by them while I released the desire for maintaining my curse of annihilation. Bone then muscle was stitched next. It was quite amazing what magic could do when performed by someone that is skilled. Madam Pomfrey was not just a school nurse, she was a talented surgeon with her wand in her hand.

As Snape maintained the patient in stasis. So he was like the machinery, and support staff in the operating room, Madam Pomfrey regrew, rebuilt, and reattached all the intricate components that I had ripped apart. An arm is far more complex than I had ever given it recognition for before. She was both operating surgeon, and plastic surgeon. I only had to pump emotions, and the counter-curse spell to enable Pomfrey to heal. Unfortunately, my magic was like millions of minuscule packing peanuts that all held the same static charge as me. Trying to corral them toward the wand and where I needed the spell to densely flow was a constant battle of wills. At the same time my emotions wanted to be allowed to express themselves. I hated feeling the emotions Pomfrey kept demanding.

The blackened scared ring band of replacement flesh, slowly purpled and in blotches even became red. When it failed to become more skin like after a bloody long time, Pomfrey grudgingly accepted it as the best I was going to be able to do. His right arm was a bit more than an inch shorter than his left. It would probably never regain more than forty percent of the strength it had before I threw a meat grinder overdosed on speed at it. More importantly, apparently magic would likely run so inefficiently down this arm he will need to learn to cast with his left arm. I translated the information provided as a guilt trip to manipulate me into not doing it again. My magic, and I were in agreement that we would do it again if we felt threatened.

My left arm ached from the numerous usually difficult to hold precise placement positions I had been forced to keep it in to ensure the correct angle, and pointing of my wand in relation to both Pompfrey's wand, the patient's limb, and occasionally Snape's wand too. My magic was screaming I needed to bathe in the blood of babies I had sacrificed to appease the vile torture I had demanded of it. Well perhaps not, but it perked up when I thought it, so who knows.

I wanted to just curl up, and sleep, but knew I had at least one inquisition from the three amigos even if Snape, and Pomfrey delay theirs due to finishing up stabilizing dickhead. Then there were the two bedrooms to blood ward.

"I will see you tomorrow morning, Miss Greengrass, in the medical ward at ten." Pomfrey said. She nodded to Snape, and the two of them then left with Druewer floating between them. Damn, I guess it was too much to think she would forget that.

Miss Burke stepped away from the door after unlocking, and opening it. After they left she looked at me. "Come on let's get you back to the rest."

"Thank you, Miss Burke." I replied and saw the surprise on her face. I now realized why she had been getting bent out of shape earlier. I'd been talking to her without addressing her, as she had deliberately just done to me. Stupid pureblood nonsense.

I followed Miss Burke, and was surprised when we left the common room. "Miss Greengrass, I am first going to show you your classroom for tutoring. I will have a schedule for you shortly." We turned the opposite way from the exit we would if we were heading to the Great Hall. After a turn we descended a flight of stairs, and entered a wide corridor with about eight doors on either side as it stretched back in toward Hogwarts and away from the side we share with the lake. "It is an honor to be awarded position as a tutor. If you do a good job then you will often be asked to give hours teaching instead of menial cleaning for detentions. You also can make money off students. I was awarded to tutor near the end of my third year, and that was a great achievement. Don't mess this up, and in seven years you might be Head Girl."

"Thank you Miss Burke. I am sorry about earlier I was so angry I wasn't really thinking straight. My sister was right I was rude, and I apologize."

"You, and your sister have a pretty strange dynamic. I never can tell if you about to curse each other or everyone else while defending the others back. What is the deal with the two of you?" Miss Burke, asked me while entering one of the rooms.

"Miss Burke, most of the time I think we don't know too, I think it is a twin thing, but I could be wrong. The eldest, is only so by a few minutes so it's much easier for a younger twin to challenge, and feel slighted that they didn't get born first. The elder is never comfortable because they don't have the at least a near year's extra knowledge, maturity, and strength that normal siblings have." I replied in generalities while following her in. I have no clue what the deal is with myself, and Daphne. She has only been my twin as far as I know for a little more than twenty-four hours.

The classroom had sixteen seats, and eight double tables for those being tutored. There was a bigger desk, and nicer chair for me, and a blackboard with supplies. "Miss Greengrass, the idea is that you can study, and even do your own homework in here. You will be given a password, but this room is your responsibility. Other than you, only Professor Snape, and I know the password. The schedule will list six hours a week that you must have the door unlocked, and be here to answer any question. Three hours for each class. If no one comes to ask you a relevant question you gained an hour of your own study time. Do you have any questions?" I shook my head.

"You might have a disillusioned prefect or professor that will audit your tutoring. This is especially likely for your second year Charms class. Now let's set the password." We got that squared away, and she then escorted me to my dorm room, it was as I expected occupied by all three girls. After thanking the Head Girl, and closing the door, I decided to go offense, as it is always my first choice.

"I am extremely tied, and have to get up primary, and secondary wards on both dorm rooms. Can I do that prior to falling asleep, where I am standing?" I asked hopefully. Hey it might work.

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3900+ words - reviews appreciated


	10. Chapter 10

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

* * *

Chapter 10

I was mobbed, crushed, pushed, and pulled. There were screams, and many tears. My arms were numb due to the systematic beating they were subjected to, as they were ritualistically punched, pinched and slapped. The whole torture accompanied to wailing slurred words that were interrupted with hic-up'd sobs. The fact that at least two of the four of us understood or were damn good at appearing to understand what was meant was unbelievable. There were multiple apologies from each of us. Yes, there was much gnashing of teeth, wailing, and weeping.

Daphne was the first to push away, and look me straight in the eyes. She seemed to be having a silent conversation with me that I was oblivious to. It was extremely disconcerting. I didn't feel any pressure against my shields so I knew she wasn't in my mind, yet she acted as if she was. The other two broke away likely due to the uncomfortable silence. "Prat,I don't understand why you're not ready to let me in, and it hurts, but fine get the primary and secondary wards up. Then we all need sleep. We will have a late start, and then around ten you start teaching the three of us. You don't have to say where you learned anything. I would rather not ask a question that makes you answer with a lie. Just share what you're willing to share, and don't lie to me, sister, is that too much of me to ask?"

"It's not too much, but the time is bad. I have another detention, an hour every day with Madam Pomfrey that starts tomorrow at ten." I replied.

"For how long?"

"She actually didn't say." Was my reply when I realized there had been no mention made. "I hope it isn't for as long as it takes."

"What is the detention!" Daphne had clued in to my feelings of dread.

"To paraphrase her, '…as you did this the first day of your Hogwarts career, it is extremely likely this will occur again, and I am not going to clean up your messes. So I don't care how much you whine that you can't do something, or say your magic fights against those types of spells. I have heard it all before, and you will learn to cast healing spells!'" I tried to come across with Pomfrey's no nonsense tone.

Daphne laughed. How could she dare laugh? Tracey and Azalea joined in the rotters. "Sister that is not detention."

"It is!" I did manage to not pout and stamp my foot, but it was close. I'll blame the new eleven year old body's built in reactions.

"You are going to be busy, with your actual detention, and the one you probably think is a worse detention. I'm glad you chose to spread the detention over four weeks, and it was really clever implying the second years are your peers." Daphne clasped my hands, and pulled me into a hug.

It was really clever how she negated one of my detentions as a detention in that opine. However, ye gods, what was with all this grasping. Gulp from the book she is known as the ice queen, but she sure is a hugger, and super clingy. Not what I would have expected.

"It's totally unfair. Aside curses, hexes and charms, which we are both good at, I got my talents in Potions and Herbology. I thought you only had your unique three of Wards, Arithmancy, and Runes. I was sure that you, struggled like me in Transfiguration and DADA. However, no you don't have that weakness, you pretended to have it."

"Daphne, It's not…

"Sorry sister, I said I wasn't going to put you on the spot, and force you to lie, and then I do. I am jealous, and that's probably why you lied, and pretended to struggle in them…

"Daphne, I was up all last night,and most of it was spent struggling on DADA, and Transfiguration. I know the spells, but my magic fights me. It doesn't want to cast them. Yes, I taught Azalea, but she is gifted in them, and it is definitely a case of the student surpassing the teacher in those two subjects. That was the main reason I elected to tutor second year charms, as that is my second easiest class."

"We would likely believe you Lily, but you were out all last night with Azalea learning where everything in Hogwarts is." Tracey told me, and Azalea was frantically shaking her hands, and I glared at her. She was asleep all bloody night long. Figures, I'm called a liar when I am telling the truth. Of course bloody Azalea has thrown me in it yet again.

Azalea seeing my anger hastily said. "I tried to tell them that when I was exploring the castle most of last night I went alone. They tripped me about wards I didn't….

"No one talk!" I cut across Azalea before she said something I couldn't recover from. Finally I twigged why I was accused of breaking curfew. I needed to find out if what I thought had happened actually had. I might be able to salvage this. "Just a yes or no as I ask a few questions. Now Azalea knew too much of how to get around Hogwarts, and initially said she went out alone last night, as to provide the reason how she knew where things were." I got two yes's and a nod from Sirius that was hesitant, along with a warning to take care.

"She was then challenged about the wards, and was brow beat into lying, and saying I dismantled them and went out with her, because she wasn't believed when she said she just went out alone, and was surprised to find there was actually supposed to be something there to have stopped her." I got three hesitant nods. Two hesitant obviously due to wanting to challenge my comment that she lied, while the third didn't know I had a rabbit in my witch's hat.

"Well that mystery is finally solved for me. Let me tell you what actually happened last night as I couldn't work out how I was being accused of things I didn't do. I thought Azalea had gone to sleep. Her curtains like mine were drawn around the bed. I was frustrated, and needed something I actually enjoyed to do for a break. That would enable me to go back to plowing through my tough subjects that I hate. For a distraction I sneaked up to look around the common room. I found the alert and curfew wards, and wanted to see if I could meet the challenge of breaking them. After getting them down I looked about a bit more then went to use the bathroom.

"Now, my guessing is that while I was in the bathroom, Azalea woke up. She saw my curtains closed and assumed I was asleep. Not wanting to disturb me, she chose to learn where things were in Hogwarts, and left. No one had said she couldn't leave the dorm. No mention had been made that there was a curfew. She was bored, and wanted to do something. Oblivious of the wards as I had taken them down…

"That is why she kept saying she was alone. She actually was, but had no clue how to explain how she got passed the wards, as they were not there." Tracey crowed.

"Hey, I said nobody talk!" I mock yelled.

"But you are guilty of taking down the wards. How come she could get back in then as she would be out there after you put them back up?" Daphne asked and was actually smiling. She must have been extremely jealous that I spent all last night doing things with a brand new friend, and excluded her.

"Um… yes about that. Ikindaforgotandhadtoracebackinthemorningbeforeanyonenoticedtheywern'tup." I acted as embarrassed as I could.

Now everyone was laughing. "Sister for shame, you actually are human."

"What was that Lily, I couldn't hear you talked so fast, could you repeat it?I thought you said you forgot! But that can't be right." Tracey screamed, and went back to laughing.

Daphne struggled through peals of laughter. "She actually thought she had recovered getting them back up, and no one would known they had been down for the night. Thank you Azalea for going out last night. My sister would never admit to making a mistake, and you forced her to. I bet you, she was tempted to say she went out with you, to not admit that mistake."

I grumphed. "I so nearly did. I've already got the punishment for it. However, then you would accuse me of holding back in DADA, and Transfiguration, when I wasn't." Tracey and Daphne pounced, and began tickling me.

"I am more interested in how you said that I had surpassed you in Transfiguration, and DADA." Azalea added. I got away from the terrors and threw a pillow at her. I called her prat, but knew she was doing this so we could have an excuse for her to be better in those classes. Azalea might think I am holding back to maintain my new identity, but I was glad I could relax a little now on those two subjects.

Escaping the two girls I stood straight and magnanimously declared. "The best reward for any teacher is to have a student surpass them."

The four of us collapsed into a pile of laughter, entwined limbs, and tickling, lots and lots of tickling. We were startled when we heard knocking on the door.

Um, I looked at Azalea. They all looked at me. "Sister, did you forget to put a ward up?" I glared at all of them to hide who I wanted to blame, while trying to think what had been said. Was there anything that could get us in trouble other than making a lot of noise. I opened the door to see Burke, Snape and Pomfrey.

They swept into the room. "Let me just take down my eavesdropping charm. Poppy please confirm it was audio only." Snape announced. I felt my stomach drop, but hid my despair by closing the door, and then joined the other girls. I was instantly grabbed into a hug by Daphne.

Poppy turned from having carefully looked at the section of wall and looked at us. "It is an audio only monitor, and would pick up normal conversation in a room this size easily. Whispering would probably not get picked up."

"Poppy if you could now confirm it has been removed." Snape requested. A moment later she told us it was gone.

"Miss Potter I must apologize for, 'to paraphrase Miss Greengrass, browbeating you into lying.'" I gasped and looked at a smirking Madam Pomfrey.

"I enjoyed listening to you quote me, Miss Greengrass. Tomorrow will be fun; for me that is."

Snape chuckled. "Miss Potter you initially told the truth, and as Miss Greengrass just announced in meticulous order you actually were unknowing in any rules or wards being broken. Your detention is dropped as we didn't explain about curfew prior to you leaving the dorm. However, now you all know that you are not allowed out from ten until seven."

"Miss Greengrass, I was actually expecting you to be guilty of more than what I called you on. Not less, I knew there was something wrong, and you were conflicted on what I was saying you had done. I am impressed that you decided it wasn't worth fighting over, and accepted what you knew you hadn't done. So you actually couldn't turn a match into a needle?"

"Well I could, but it took a lot of last night to get my magic to agree."

"Good, I thought we were going to come to an issue. You see I informed Professor McGonagall that you had tutored Miss Potter, and she should have been awarded points rather than being told off. I told her how most of my Slytherin first years could turn a match into a needle, but unlike Gryffindors don't like to show off. She has offered ten points each to any Slytherin that casts the spell perfectly at the beginning of Monday's lesson. She gave Miss Potter twenty points to prove she wasn't biased against Slytherin." Snape said this and just looked at me. What did he want?

"You want me to say something?" I asked.

"I am sorry Miss Greengrass, I was hoping for your usual intuitive leap of logic. You see myself, all the Slytherin Alumni on staff, and the Slytherin prefects were honor bound by me to Professor McGonagall to not influence, or tutor the first years so they all can turn a matchstick into a needle by Monday morning. She only wants the Slytherins that were holding back to prove your argument. A first year Gryffindor had come to her with what you had said, which was why she had talked to me about it.

"Well you wouldn't be influencing the first years. If I chose to use my new classroom to tutor something other than charms. I might be reading my Transfiguration homework, between charms questions and if one of these three asked me about it I would answer them. However, I only have two matches left. I didn't check to see if the supplies included matchsticks." I now saw why I had been offered such a cushy detention and I was more than willing to scratch his back.

"I will check to ensure it does, Miss Greengrass." Miss Burke replied while Professor Snape suddenly looked worried. "Sir, both you, and Professor McGonagall seemed to have forgotten that I am Hogwarts Head Girl, not a Slytherin prefect. Now Miss Greengrass is there anything else you need."

"Well we can't expect them to be as great as Miss Potter, so I think if they have done the homework assignment correctly, they will have a much better chance of doing the transfiguration." I stated.

"I will ask tonight for it to be given to me, before lunch. Those that have a good essay will be sent to your classroom. The others will keep redoing the essay until it is acceptable. Hopefully by Sunday evening all first years will be primed to do well." Miss Burke said. "Of course you do realize that you will have to keep helping the first years in transfiguration for at least a couple of weeks after, maybe longer?"

After my dejected nod, Snape smiled. "Hey I know you are being punished for things you didn't do, and you offered to help Slytherin. Miss Greengrass, it is always good to be owed. We will now leave you to get to sleep. Oh, but just one more question Miss Greengrass. Do you have any idea why none of the Hufflepuff's in my first year potion class would look me in the eye?"

"No, sir." I sweetly replied looking him in the eye, daring him to challenge my shields.

"You need to teach Slytherin that skill in lying too, Miss Greengrass." Snape said before leaving with Miss Burke. Of course Madam Pomfrey followed only after letting me know she would see me at ten tomorrow morning.

"Can we work on the essay together, Sister?"

"I've already done it, and my Charms one. History had no homework. Was there any from DADA?" I asked. Having found that there was not. I gave both my charms and transfiguration essays, and offered my reference books.

"Will you ward our rooms tonight?"

"Yes as soon as I have the primary up here, I'll swing by your room to get both up. Then wrap up placing the secondary here." I replied. I waved as my sister, and Tracey left.

I got a test tube rack out onto my desk and placed three test tubes ready for the blood into the rack. Then reaching my right hand beneath the outer layre of the wrap around skirt I wore, I pulled my athame from the hip holster attached to my left leg through the hidden near four inch access slit that all of my wrap around skirts, I had found, were tailored with. I placed the blade beside the rack.

Azalea's eyes boggled at me as she said. "You were wearing that all day?"

"Yes, and yes if it was needed I would have used it in the duel. I practiced last night 'till I was comfortable in being able to draw it."

"Actually my second question was about Susan's hand during history."

"The athame is held in a leather sheath on outside of my left leg. The handle rests on top of my left thigh. I have a strap around my waist, and another high up on the left leg. As Susan was on my right and concentrating on the inside leg rather than my lap, she might at most have felt the leg strap and thought I had a leather corset on. I did try to stop her hand from getting too high. So she most likely didn't even notice that"

"I don't think she was concentrating on your inside leg Lils, and how high is the strap if Susan most likely didn't reach it? I thought she got to the pearly gates."

"No, she didn't get anywhere close, and no, you fucking won't find out how high. Now go ahead, and do something, but leave me in peace. "

Grabbing a stick of chalk I then proceeded to the door, and beside each hinge and the latch began a bindrune protective schema chalking one rune atop the next increasing the pattern's complexity.

As a little kid I recalled drawing pathetic chalk scribbles on the driveway. How if you pressed too hard the stick would break. How the line from the chalk would change thickness as it unevenly wore onto the driveway. That was the extent of my prior use of chalk as a medium to express myself in. Here my stick of chalk in my left hand seemed to be like an always sharpened '4-H' pencil. The drawn line looked as if the chalk had been immediate drying liquid not a solid that was rubbed onto the surface. To risk being annoying, it was truly magical chalk.

The runes 'feoh' over 'mann' followed by 'eolh' to a stylized 'wynn' started the bindrune, but then each pattern shaped unique by the runes needed to bind it to the grain of the wood beneath them all. On the wall bordering the door I chalked several 'Teiwaz' over the top side of 'Sowulo' before deviating as needed.

"You learned that today? Why are you drawing over the top of your older markings, the wards Snape put up weren't complex like this." Azalea sounded rather jealous, and put out. She also was so not doing something to not bother me.

"I learned this today and last night. It is a bindrune. It is permanent, and weaves the magic into the surface. The multiple layres strengthen it to exactly what your purpose is, and provide more strength and flexibility. Snape's wards are like duplo while mine are the motorized technical lego with added blood and twyning ritual kits. It's cool right!" I jauntily sassed back, and returned my over half used stick of chalk to its container.

"You do realize that most of your muggle references go right over my head?" Sirius inquired.

"Damn, it was a bloody good one too." I sulked.

Wand dropping into the now comfortable and familiar left hand I cast 'scourgify' to get the ridiculously little amount of chalk dust off. Happy the dust from my left hand was cleaned along with any on my wand even though I couldn't of course point my wand at the hand that held it, and the chalk previously. Magic really was very intent based.

After my wand was again in its holster I picked the athame up. Holding my left hand over one of the test tubes, I brought the athame in my right hand, and poked the fleshy pad of my palm below the thumb. Twisting the left hand so my blood would bleed straight from the cut into the tube, I pointed the tip of my blood tipped athame at Sirius. "Your blood next," I leered to him. Then after capturing enough in the test tube I shoved my wound into my mouth to lick the shallow cut. Around my hand I announced. "I'm going to drink your blood, muw, ah, ha, hah, ha, hahh!"

"You're getting a little creepy there, Lilaea." He then grabbed my hand, and cast 'episkey' to stop the bleeding. He then cast the cleaning charm at the blade to remove my blood.

"We could have been blood sisters." I pouted.

After adding her blood to the same tube, and swapping magical instrument from athame to wand, I cast the 'Foe Blood pre-Ward' ensuring the twyning over the joined blood, and magics. Then I quickly crossed the room' and allowed seven drops of the twyned blood to land on each runic schema binding drawn.

"So what was all that?"

"That was the primary ward drawn. Now no one but you or I can enter this room alone. I next will chalk the secondary ward as it doesn't have a requirement on how soon after drawn it needs to be blood locked, and twyned. The secondary is the allowed guest list that will just be Daphne and Tracey so we don't have to search every day to see if any eavesdropping charms have been added."

"You aren't going to drop that. It actually ended up better…

"Not through any skill of yours. It could have been bad Azalea."

"What's the deal with the extra test tubes?" Azalea quickly shifted the conversation.

"I told you I was after your blood." Azalea just raised an eyebrow, and I wondered if Sirius hadn't ever seen a muggle movie on vampires. As they actually existed in the magical world maybe the joke didn't work? Then pointing to the second then third test tube informed Azalea. "That one is for primary ward on Daphne and Tracey's room, and that is for secondary ward on each.

* * *

I toweled myself dry in the shower cubicle, and put my robe on. Having got all the wards up, and an impromptu tutoring of Daphne and Tracey with my last two matches, I needed a shower, and to wash my hair. I needed to feel clean, from the who knows how many days marathon I finally would soon be ending. I couldn't wait to get in bed and sleep in. Unfortunately, bloody Pomfrey had ensured I would still have to wake up in the morning. With my robe on, and standing before the mirror I used the charm from near the end of the second year book of spells that enabled controlled air to blow at a desired temperature from my wand as I brushed my hair. I was glad that Azalea had stepped up to carry on tutoring so I could get clean and sleep.

"Oh that is pretty dear. I think sweeping your bangs in a wave to the right is definitely you." It would appear that using magic to take care of your grooming needs, ensured a nicer commentary from the peanut gallery.

Finishing up by cleaning my teeth, I gleefully headed for bed. I placed today's, and the clothing I had taken off this morning on to the floor. Apparently nicely folding them and leaving them on the end of the bed tricked the house elves into thinking I didn't want them laundered. I then opened my drawers to look for some sleepwear. As my bed was closer to the door I noticed Azalea throw her charms up after arriving. I had confirmed earlier that they could go up, and wouldn't bother the wards in any way.

"We need to talk Diane." Azalea stated and I raised an eyebrow at the choice of name used. "After you didn't show for DADA, and Harry and Susan left for their Potions class, I was taken to an empty classroom by Daphne and Tracey."

After she didn't continue for a while I turned from my scavenger hunt to look at her. "So you got to know some stuff from my sister that will help me be Lilaea?" I asked hopefully.

"You know how you said, that you didn't know the reason for the chosen girl you became twin too?" I nodded, but didn't like how Azalea was pussy footing about, I also knew I had sort of lied a bit about this. Well that with the 'sort of' removed. "Last night when I hugged you, I discovered the worst thing that happened to you, when you freaked out thinking a man was hugging you. When Daphne, and you were nine your nanny kidnapped both of you."

"Do you want to sit on the bed?" Azalea asked with a non sequitur.

"I want to find something to sleep in, and go to sleep actually, but I haven't found my sleepwear yet." I didn't want this conversation. I was too tired, and I didn't want to slip up.

"There's one right there." Azalea said while pointing to a rather racy satin piece of next to nothing. I doubted it would reach my navel, let alone cover my bum. Taking it and a pair of panties I slipped them on beneath my robe. After finishing my contortions, and with my robe still on, so I actually wore something, I sat on the bed as it appeared Azalea wasn't planning on talking 'til I was sat.

"When Harry stayed in my house during the end of his summer vacation prior to his fifth year, your fourth, I got to see his friends, and specifically the Weasley twins. They like you and Daphne are identical twins. Apparently until the kidnapping Daphne and you, like them could finish each other's sentences. Daphne said it was as if you shared your brains. You had two personalities but you shared everything. She said it was hard to know where she stopped and you started…

"Sirius, you met me first in the D.O.M., my hair was chestnut brown with deep red highlights, not blond. I was tiny. Until we came back, Daphne didn't have a twin. I was written into her life so we could help Harry, your godson."

"Yes, I am just talking about how Daphne see's things." Sirius said, but I knew he was lying about something in that statement. 'What the hell!' Before I could follow that worry Sirius was continuing. "Daphne feels guilty, because she thinks she broke the twin speak, and sharing thing. What they did to you two was bad, but sharing the things happening to the other was too much. It was like feedback. It was happening to her, but she could experience your thoughts of feeling what was happening to her, while also feeling your experience of what was happening to you."

"I am sure that it would be exactly the same for me if I was there then, which I wasn't. I probably would have also needed to stop the feedback or gone mad. But, this is Daphne being given a raw deal, as until about thirty odd hours ago, she did not have a twin." I was extremely uncomfortable, and this conversation was going to a point I knew only madness was beyond.

"Daphne said the last thought she had before the twin connection was severed was Lilaea begging her to not leave her alone." Azalea interrupted.

"Gods Azalea, Sirius or whoever you bloody are, you should know that if something like that was happening and if there was a twin speak, and share thought thingy that it might be next to impossible to know who's thought originated from whom. Lilaea, might have been the one severing the link and Daphne begging to not be left alone. Or maybe both of them did both. However, I was not Lilaea then if it even happened so it wasn't me okay!"

"Lilaea, you do know you are Lilaea, yes?"

"Azalea just like you are now Azalea, and prior to our jaunt through time were Sirius. I know I am Lilaea now, but I was Diane. I wasn't Lilaea prior to the sorting hat on my head selecting Slytherin for my house. Prior to that moment there wasn't a Lilaea. She was written into existence by some extremely powerful something. It would appear that Daphne got screwed by the occurrence."

"Okay fine can I just go and tell you what I found out then?" Azalea appeased me, and I reluctantly nodded her to continue. "The aurors got where the two Greengrass girls were being held from an informant, and possibly information obtained from torture done by the Travers family. That is who your Mum was, prior to marrying into the Greengrass family. Tracey's Mum had been married into the Travers family too, but lost her first husband." I made a get to the point motion with my hands.

"Daphne was guilty because she thought severing the connection killed you. They rescued you both, but Lilaea was DOP to Saint Mungos…

"Dop?" I asked.

"Dead On Portkey'in. I think that you were only written in from that point replacing the deceased twin."

"Well that would be possible and all, if it were not for the fact I went straight from the D.O.M. to the sorting ceremony with no two odd year branch line siding of family time with the Greengrass, and Davis households from the express none stop time train, we actually used." I sarcastically stated, while wondering if you would be DOF if the flu was used. The magical world was just illogical enough that it might just be so. They would actually get it right if you were apparated in.

"Diane, I don't quite know, but after it was realized Lilaea wasn't dead she was placed in the Janus Thickey long term spell damage ward for nearly eighteen months, none responsive. Further, she needed to get two different wands because the first would not work with her next personality. So I don't think you became Lilaea until the sorting, but the attempt to bridge the time from the death of the twin until the sorting caused some miscues in the written timeline."

I just stared at Azalea. "Fine perhaps Daphne did have a twin until nine, and it would be easier to write in two years of made up history verses eleven, so it would make sense I guess that I became her twin. However, if my two years of being written in cause miscues, how many did you end up with having eleven years of write in?" I paused to think where I was going with this but Azalea restarted.

"There is more evidence in the Daily Prophet. The stories about the boy-who-lived, make no mention of a sister. However, the ones about the kidnapping, and recovery make mention of Daphne, and Lilaea, and that Lilaea dies. There is no later article that states Lilaea actually didn't die. Even during the later articles dealing with the investigation into who caused the kidnapping. Your Aunt's claim, is called out in the paper that '…it was Daphne's step-mum, so that Astoria would be heiress.' Another mentions 'how she won, and was awarded custody of Daphne.' Everyone now knows it was your nanny, who was actually a bastard from the Rosier family, and couldn't be found when she ran. The articles after that came to light explain how your sister still refused to live with your Father. Lilaea isn't mentioned in any of these stories though."

Azalea looked over at me. "You okay with this so far?" I wasn't but my occlumency shields allowed me to lie.

"So when I called Father 'Dad,' I set off Daphne,whom has bought into our Aunt's story, and blames our Father for defending his second wife. Of course she did also call our nanny 'crazy,' so maybe she doesn't know whom to blame."

* * *

5400+ words - reviews appreciated


	11. Chapter 11

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

* * *

Chapter 11

I awoke sore, cranky, and annoyed. Finally getting my wand, that had fallen between the headboard and mattress, I was able to cast finite to turn off the alarm spell. Getting the infernal caterwaul spell turned off at least allowed my pounding head some respite, but I could still hear the echo thumping. I hoped Pomfrey had the magical equivalent of aspirin to make me feel I actually got something from having to visit the medical wing. It was too damn early to be up after a late night, and several days of no sleep prior.

Swinging back the curtains to the bed I saw that Azalea must already be up. Probably why she hadn't been annoyed with the morning alarm going off whilst I played hunt the thimble with my AWOL wand. The curtains over the window were opened. I couldn't stop imagining eyes from the deep dark lake perving on my barely covered, far too female body. Wonder of wonders, I only had to look forward to it getting more female over the next few years too.

My stomach cramped to let me know it was there, and would as before be a constant annoyance today too. Merlin and Morgana but this royally sucked. Grabbing the curtains, and yanking them shut I ended the peep show for mermen, and the other lurkers in the dingy lake that wasn't much lighter and clearer in the day as it had been at night. It was dusk levels of lighting at best out there. Then finding my robe, I actually put something on, by covering the excuse for clothing that was apparently sleepwear.

"Tempus!" and the numerals 'nine thirty-three' showed I had slightly over twenty minutes to get dressed for my detention torture. I grabbed my wash bag and stumbled for the bathroom. I was now glad I had set my alarm spell to trigger the caterwaul intruder charm if the alarm was not turned off.

After having got dressed for the day, a second tempus charm informed me I had six minutes to get to the medical wing. I looked at my wand in my left hand and recalled Sirius mentioning last night how Lilaea had to get a second, obviously this one. I wonder what wood it is, and what the core is? It was fairly dark wood. Actually with the polished finish it seemed to have some red in the dark brown hue of the wand. It sort of reminded me of Diane's hair. It was wonderfully smooth. Shaking my head while reminding myself I needed to get moving, I holstered my wand.

I dashed out and up the stairs toward the common room. As I charged across the common room toward the exit I enjoyed the feeling of power, noticing the fear even some older Slytherins awarded my appearance in their midst. It wasn't quite the same as the parting of the red sea, but groups talking between me and the exit, quickly split apart to not be too close to me. One might even have contained fourth years, they were at least third years, if not the former.

"Breakfast is served 'till ten-thirty on the weekends!" someone yelled as I leapt two stairs at a time up from the dungeon levels of Hogwarts. Nice to know, but I of course was heading elsewhere. Thinking of my destination enabled my stomach to stop sending nauseas signals out, allowing me to continue my flight up the stairs.

I barreled into the ward to find five beds occupied and a curtain surrounding a sixth, further in from the entrance, and afore mentioned five patients.

"Ah Miss Greengrass, cutting it close?" Madam Pomfrey inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Slept through my alarm, and initially lost wand to cut it off, once it started caterwauling, but got here, as you said, on time."

"You skipped breakfast again?" Madam Pomfrey was looking at me far more annoyed than before.

"I had breakfast yesterday." I declared, slightly disgruntled.

"Eight grapes is not breakfast, especially when you then decide to skip lunch, dinner, and apparently this morning's breakfast. When it's added in that you didn't eat anything during the sorting feast, I am concerned. I will be watching you closely at lunch Miss Greengrass. I expect you to be there, and to eat a balanced meal.

"Anyway come here girl. This is Miss Granger, a Gryffindor. Cast the vitals monitoring spell that I had you casting yesterday on Mister Druewer."

As this charm seemed to be classified as neutral, I had no problem casting it silently. That enabled me to get all eight vitals monitoring simultaneously verses the one at once obtained with each vital called out as part of the monitor spell. This is what occurs when they are verbally cast, meaning the spell required being cast non-verbally if you wanted all eight to be monitored at the same time. It had the added benefit of not teaching Hermione how to cast. Petty true, but it is fun to know it would annoy her, and Madam Pomfrey wouldn't know I gained some pleasure from this morning's torture.

"So Miss Granger, what seems to be the problem?" I asked as the monitoring charm trundled out the vitals for my perusal alone. None were outside of normal. I was going to act as if I was employed here, and not on detention. I needed some positive PR.

"Oh, they shouldn't be sick Miss Greengrass. They just spent the night having got their magical vaccinations having entered our world." Madam Pomfrey informed me before Hermione was able to answer me. Pomfrey was stood at the next bed checking the vitals of another of the girls, and likely had looked at Hermione's previously too. I am sure she wasn't going to trust an eleven year old.

"Shouldn't Azalea, and Mister Potter have spent last night here too then?" I inquired.

"Well I do the boys' vaccinations this evening, but the Potters should have already got them when they were three and seven, as you did."

"They were raised in the muggle world, so I doubt they would have." I informed her, wondering if this was an honest mistake or deliberate. I was pretty sure dragon pox was lethal. Then again I am unsure if that is one of the magical diseases that has a vaccine. I was also worried if I needed the vaccinations or not, but that would be harder to get. I would get them though just in case I somehow needed them. I just wasn't so sure on how I would accomplish that.

"You are likely right. I will get Mister Potter to visit tonight with the other boys. As Azalea shares her room with you, I can let you monitor her vitals, if she agrees to it. As you mentioned the caterwaul charm, I know you can set an alarm that will wake you no matter what. Enabling you to check them tonight.

"So Miss Greengrass while I finish here, go and check the vitals on Mister Druewer. He is in a healing coma, and I have monitoring wards in there, so I will know what you are doing. Keep the privacy blinds up around the bed."

Obviously she had me cast the vital monitoring charm on Hermione to confirm I could do it still, and so I couldn't claim it forgotten or something while she left me with dickhead. There were layres upon layres to Pomfrey's sneakiness.

I don't know how much time I spent scowling at the shithead with the monitoring charm running before Pomfrey released the girls, and joined me.

"I want to see if I can get more healing, so you are going to cast the counter curse once more. Hold the wand here at this angle…"

An hour or so later and I was finally released from the torture. She had reminded me to eat a good lunch, but my mouth seemed full of ash. I was tired, cranky, and worn out once more. I just wanted to get to my room, curl up in bed, and sleep. I probably needed to run or do something physical, so I am able to eat a reasonable amount when lunch rolls round in a couple of hours. I wondered if they monitored what all kids ate, or if more likely, it was done by the house elves. They could then bring it to Pomfrey's attention after a fixed number of skipped or poorly eaten meals.

I was heading toward the main staircase, unsure if I wanted to run around the lake, or hide in my room when the three of them caught up with me.

"Hey Lily, these two agreed to come with me to see Hagrid. You are coming too." Azalea said, more than asked me.

"How was your healing class?" Daphne asked, prior to giggling.

"Bad, oh, and Azalea, you need your vaccinations. I got Pomfrey to add your brother to the muggleborn boys getting them tonight. You should have got them last night, with the girls. Can you believe the whole staff know you are forced to live with those despicable excuses, but forgot that meant you weren't vaccinated?" I was happy Azalea realized my concern in what Dumbledore was or was not doing from my comment as I had intended. "Also it seems they have a way of monitoring what we do, or do not eat. I need to get some exercise so I am hungry enough to eat something at lunch, or risk getting in trouble." I carefully watched Daphne while saying the second part, and confirmed that the information impacted her more than the general shock it afforded the two others. It seems my eating problem is likely a known disorder, and not me having difficulty with a new body's sense of smell. "So lead on McDuff."

When we got to Hagrid's hut it was to find it rather crowded. Fang happily slobbered over the new four victims, having already drooled on Harry, Hannah and Susan. Susan quickly got Hannah to sit on Harry's lap so there were three more chairs. She also somehow lassoed me, and dragged me onto her lap prior to me getting one of the open chairs. She promptly began blowing on my neck and ears, coupled with kissing the back of my neck. I am unsure who was more red, Hannah or myself. I was also amazed how touching of odd parts of my body was as erotic as if she had been touching places more inappropriate.

I knew to avoid the rock cakes, but was able to watch as five of the six others nearly broke their teeth on them. Daphne like myself had claimed to be too stuffed after eating a large breakfast to be able to eat anymore.

"I guess I should've had Azalea, and her friends come yesterday." Hagrid offered upon seeing how full his house was.

"Oh, no Hagrid, it is much better you did it this way." Susan jumped in. "With them being in different houses we need to keep finding things that we can do together, so they don't miss each other." The lot of the rotters, all agreed so I couldn't say anything. I don't think Hannah and Harry were aware why all the others were enjoying the enforced group visiting. Well Hannah might, Harry though was completely oblivious to the devils in angel suits, he thought were nice girls.

"You don't mind spending Saturday mornings with me, 'cause you don't have a shared afternoon of free time during the week?" Hagrid asked, and then actually cried in joy with tears too, when the six of them quickly said it would be perfect. I, of course couldn't say something against it, now.

"Oh, look. Someone tried to steal from Gringotts!" Tracey stated having read the headlines of the daily prophet that was on Hagrid's coffee table.

"The attempted robbery occurred on the same day you took Azalea, and I into Gringotts, Hagrid." Harry said, and when Azalea glanced at me I could see she knew, that I knew more about it.

"It says the vault was emptied the same day, just before the robbery." Tracey continued, and now Azalea was looking at me, and obviously my Occlumency shields weren't doing well hiding my emotions from my face.

"Hagrid you emptied a vault at Gringotts that day for Dumbledore." Harry said.

"Look, don't you all worry about that. That was official Hogwarts business. Professor Dumbledore knows what is going on, an' you don't need to worry nothin' about it, see." Hagrid butted in, grabbing the paper that Tracey had now picked up, and shoving it under some other books, and papers that were on another table. "Here, have some more rock cakes." Hagrid forced each of us, to at least take one rock cake 'for later', while herding us out of his house before more questions could be asked.

As the door slammed shut the others that weren't already clued in that Hagrid knew something about the Gringotts attempted theft were wising up. Looking around I could see that even Harry, Hannah, and Susan were catching up with Tracey, who was catching up with Daphne, and Azalea.

"You already knew." Daphne stated while staring at me, and not asking it as a question.

"Wer… What!" Susan yelled.

"She knows. Probably everything. I know my sister." Daphne stated.

"Look lets walk toward the lake." I stated to get us away from Hagrid's. By walking fast, and not waiting for others to comment I was fairly sure they would follow, and wait for me to talk, rather than keep talking where we had stood.

"Fine, last night Azalea told me about the strange vault they also visited in Gringotts when they got their galleons for school supplies. How Hagrid clammed up saying it was official Hogwarts business, and it was for Professor Dumbledore. That the vault appeared empty except for the one wrapped item he removed. Hagrid also in the time they were together talked about how great Dumbledore was. When added to the fact that during the sorting feast Dumbledore talked about a corridor being out of bounds or suffer a terrible death and an old paper that mentions the theft conveniently left when we are at his house... Well I smelt a set up."

"Hey Hagrid does not set people up!" Harry yelled.

"Not Hagrid, he is a really nice kind man who hero worships Dumbledore. His biggest failings are talking too much about things that should be kept secret, and possibly being blind to the manipulations that Dumbledore might be doing."

"So you believe whatever was in the Gringotts vault, is now in the third floor corridor, Why?" Daphne asked.

"Well the reason sort of hinges on whether Dumbledore is deliberately manipulating Mister Potter into becoming his weapon that will do what he wants including sacrificing himself, or if he has become senile, and doesn't realize he is causing students, primarily the Potters and their friends, to be in danger this year."

"Why do you think Dumbledore wants to kill my brother?" Azalea stated while the others were staring at me like I had a third head. I was glad for Sirius's ability to appear as Harry's concerned sister, well he is his concerned Godfather, so not much of an acting stretch. It did however, allow me to push the conversation in the direction that made all pay attention to what I wanted them to.

"I had said sacrifice, not kill, and that is only if Dumbledore is actually not the leader of the light that history portrays him as."

"Hey Dumbledore is the leader of the light!" Harry interrupted.

"One who hid you and Azalea away in a nasty place, while telling the wizarding world that the 'boy-who-lived' and sister are in a safe place and they don't need to know where they have been hidden."

"How can you claim that he lied?" Susan declared a little irate."Dumbledore is the leader of the light. He is a hero, and the good guy."

"He claimed that the Potters were safe. Books are published full of lies about Mister Potter's childhood, and he does nothing to stop them. That makes him complicit in the lies and rumors being circulated, as he is the Potters magical guardian. A guardian who never bothers to visit them to ensure they are not being abused, fails to inform them he is their guardian, and does not stop the rumors and lies circulating...

"That's twice you have hinted or mentioned abuse." Susan butted in again.

"If you can let me finish answering the first question first." I tried to get things back on track, and took another breath. "I am pointing out that regardless of which of three things causes Dumbledore to behave as he does, the result is the same."

"You had said two before, not three. " Azalea started, then backed down as I growled.

"Either Dumbledore is too busy, too stupid and or senile, or he is doing this deliberately. Either way it ends up with a situation where the thief shows up at Hogwarts to steal the item now hidden in the third floor corridor, and Dumbledore is either too busy to be there to stop it, too stupid to ensure he is there to stop it, or he has ensured the Potters and their friends are the only ones available to stop it."

"So if he is too busy or too stupid he still shouldn't be our magical guardian, as we are not being represented. It still results in lies, rumors and abuse just as if he was deliberately causing it to occur. By using Hagrid to introduce the two of us to the magical world, we hear great things about him, and he appears a hero in our eyes. Making us more likely to allow him to manipulate us, if that was his intent." Azalea summarized.

"Lilaea where is your wand?" Daphne asks me.

Confused at the weird comment I draw my wand that was in its holster.

"Must be bleed through." Daphne mutters.

"Bleed through?" I asked wondering if this would clue me in on the bleeding issue from Thursday's letter.

"You drew your left hand wand. With your jumping to conclusions that require knowledge you shouldn't have, I was expecting you to draw your right hand one."

"I don't have a right hand wand. I am left handed." I was seriously wondering how we had entered twilight zone again with a conversation with Daphne. I also wasn't truly left-handed, my athame worked best in my right hand and I had found I could write with either, but my wand only felt right in my left hand.

"Of course you don't. Don't worry about it Lils. So what do you think is being hidden, and who do you think the thief is?" Daphne changed the subject. I was annoyed to see that Azalea was not confused like the 'puffs and myself were.

"Oh, nice, is it cherry?" Susan asked stroking my wand. When did she get so close to me? How the hell should I know what it was?

"It is cherry, Susan. Seven and a half inches, with a crushed Peruvian Vipertooth's fang for its core." Azalea called out, obviously realizing that I wouldn't know what it was. However, how did she know? Susan stepped away as if the wand had shocked her, and was looking at me strange.

"How do you know that?" I quickly tried to put concern into my voice, figuring my sister for some reason must have told her, and I should respond 'concerned' finding someone knew information I hadn't provided. I also was trying to work out what had happened. Was Susan embarrassed because she had forgotten others were around while she touched my wand? Was it a social taboo? I sort of felt hurt, and her sudden… well it appeared she now feared, or disliked me?

"Ollivander doesn't sell cherry wands with dragon cores to children?" Susan challenged… Well she was challenging me.

"We don't have Ollivander wands, Susan. My wand has the same dragon's other fang, for its core. The wood is from the same cherry tree, but eight inches, verses my twin sister's seven and a half." Daphne replied. "We got them from Gregorovitch, on the continent. To answer your interrupted question Lils, I told Azalea, and if Susan is going to spend time around you, she should know too."

It seemed I was going to have multiple questions with Azalea once I got her alone. I was on the one side happy that with this new information shared, Susan was keeping her distance. However, I just wanted her to not be so aggressive. I at the same time enjoyed feeling wanted, and being pursued. Unfortunately, I now had more questions, and worries. What was bad about dragon cored wands? I was fairly sure Hermione's wand had a dragon heartstring core. I didn't realize wand cores could play a part in the dating scene. It was hard enough with puberty in the muggle world, to work out dating as a teenager. The last thing I needed was more complications thrown in with wand cores too, along with the whole gender snafu.

"We should get cleaned up before lunch." Hannah stated, and I was disappointed in how fast Susan agreed, and actually dragged Harry off before he could do much more than a quick bye to his sister.

"Well should we not also freshen up before lunch?" Tracey asked, filling the pregnant silence as the three 'puffs left us behind.

"I need to exercise. I am going to run a few times around the lake before a shower. Well at least once, I hope." I said as way of excuse to leave the others. I think I had hopefully got the relevant information across to make every one wary of the danger, but felt I had lost the thread of the plot on a few items. I also wondered if I was about to go through my first break-up of a relationship that I was still unsure I had wanted. It probably would be for the best, but I didn't like that, I think?

"I'll join you, or I might have difficulty at lunch too." Daphne stated.

"Come on Tracey, let's leave the ice princesses to their madness." Azalea stated, grabbing Tracey, and pulling her as if afraid our madness was a contagious disease.

The cloak was probably not the best jogging outfit, and I shoved my hand in the pocket when the rock cake kept banging my leg as it swung across them. Throwing the bloody thing as far as I could into the lake, yielded a surprise. A tentacle from the giant squid whipped out catching it, and making me laugh.

The laugh helped calm me down a lot. I don't know how long it had been since I had last laughed free of worry, and woes. A little thinking, and I worked out that it was actually the other times Friday evening. A world away when Diane was making fun at my attempts to dig up the stump from the backyard of our house in Jersey. The memory made me laugh harder.

"Here, you can toss mine, if it makes you that happy." Daphne said while thrusting her rock cake at me.

I collapsed laughing when the squid caught Daphne's rock cake, and waved two tentacles in thanks. Well I knew what I would be doing with Hagrid's rock cakes, from now on.

* * *

4000+ words - reviews appreciated


	12. Chapter 12

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

* * *

Chapter 12

I was kneeling, worshiping the porcelain throne wondering when my life had become so screwed up. I got a couple of gasps of air then bowed my head over the throne once more, upchucking things I hadn't enjoyed on the way down, and was definitely not a fan of the violent discharge back up. One hand provided stability against the stall wall, while my other had to hold back my long hair. Yep, long hair had been a deal for the last couple or so days that I was having to learn to live with.

"Do you need me to call Madam Pomfrey for you?" A concerned voice called out from outside the stall.

"No I am…." A third hurl interrupted my reply.

I waited kneeling a further few minutes after the last few attempts to throw up on a now likely empty stomach before flushing the loo again and exiting the cubicle slowly. As I washed-up, I found the girl was still here. Else she was a new one that arrived while the other left. She was a lot older, and from Ravenclaw based on her clothes. A quick 'nova caeli' had my breath bearable once more.

"I think I should escort you to the hospital wing."

"Thanks for the offer." I interrupted her. "I will go there tomorrow if I'm not better. I feel fine now. Must have just been something I ate disagreed."

"I think we should go now, not wait 'till tomorrow."

"I was there this morning, and already have an appointment for tomorrow morning." I twisting the facts so she would incorrectly believe this was already known to Pomfrey. I'd already spent far too long there today.

"What time tomorrow morning?" the girl asked looking at me suspiciously, did she think I was lying?

"Ten." I replied truthfully, well, as truthfully as I usually lied.

"Fine Miss Greengrass, I am Penelope Clearwater, Ravenclaw's fifth year prefect, and I will confirm, with Madam Pomfrey, that you show up."

It appeared I was known by people that I didn't know, well from the book I knew of her, and that gave me the knowledge to mess with her. "Thank you, Miss Clearwater for being concerned with my health. All I can offer in return for your thoughtfulness is to warn you against Mister Percy Weasley, the fifth year Gryffindor prefect that you are interacting more with, as you both became prefects this year. He is a poor choice for a boyfriend. I see an Audrey in his future." I was staring slightly to the right of her while declaring this in my best whimsical copying of Luna's voice. I then smiled, and skipped out of the bathroom holding my skirt out with the hand not needed to open the bathroom door. Hopefully my odd behavior would make her less likely to be too interested in checking up on me, from now on.

Wending my way to the main staircase I descended into the dungeons and headed for the dorms to clean my teeth.

* * *

"Hey, so can we check out your classroom, Lils?" Daphne asked startling me out of my, self inspection. "You're getting a bit vain there, sis."

"Do you normally insult people you are asking something from?" I inquired to cover up my embarrassment. I wasn't getting vain, I was trying to get comfortable with how I now looked, and had obviously lost track of time. Well that's my excuse, even if I can't say it aloud.

"Someone needs to keep you grounded Lilaea." Daphne smirked back.

"Where are the other two?"

"Waiting in your dorm, as you will return there with your wash bag, and they can bug you to show your classroom too." I stared at Daphne. Did she really think that would work? "Come on Lils, you know you need to be there to help with transfiguration anyway, as soon as Burke accepts someone's essay. We can study for potions too?"

"Next time start with what you're willing to pay Daph. Let's go then." I replied grabbing my bag and heading to the exit.

"I didn't think you would be so mercenary to your own sister."

"I'm a Slytherin, and I already helped you with Transfiguration. It's time for you to scratch my back."

"Azalea helped me more on that…

"I provided you my completed homework, and the wards for your dorm." I interrupted

"My favorite silk ribbon, and a rock cake."

Turning I grabbed her into a hug. "Thanks for the hair makeover, and that was funny, and I needed to laugh. Thank you Daphne."

"You know this is the first time you hugged me first, since…" Daphne sputtered off and just stared at me, reliving a nightmare.

"I couldn't ask for a better sister." I inserted into the silence, to stop Daphne thinking about the incident.

"Will you let me back in? I am sorry. I was wrong to break…

"Daphne, there is no way to know who was the one wanting to sever the twin speak, and who wasn't. I think we both, were doing both. I have no idea how to restart the twin speak."

"You're not deliberately refusing to reconnect, because you're angry with me?"

"No, and I am not angry with you in the slightest. I am angry with… well everyone that were the cause… and that did… If I knew how to reconnect it I would." I tried to be as honest as I could, while feeling a louse. I was avoiding what I had no idea of, whereas Daphne had real trauma to cause her to stumble talking about this stuff.

Daphne cocked her head to one side, and smiled. "Damn, but I keep hearing Snape praising your ability to lie, and keep wondering do you really mean it this time… or am I more likely to believe what I want to hear."

Holding my sister I answered with something I knew had no lie in it, and hoped it would cover by emphasizing the things we had in common. "We're both Slytherin. We were sorted here not just because we are ambitious and cunning, but because we have both been hurt, wounded, and…" I frantically searched for what I needed to say…

"… and scared." Daphne finished the thought for me, before resting her head on my shoulder. I couldn't help but think that most of my scars were far more trivial to hers. She had really got the worst scars out of the deal of me being inserted into her life.

Twisting, and half stepping into a looser hug Daphne suddenly asked. "Can I see your wand?"

I released my wand, and suddenly Daphne was holding hers alongside it, and I could see the wood was the same. "Twin wands, for twin princesses, I'm glad you're using this one." Daphne smiled at me.

"Azalea mentioned something you told her about me needing a second wand. That is why you keep asking to see my wand, and the whole comment when we were at the lake. So if this is my second wand…"

"No this is your first wand. We got them together for our seventh birthday." Daphne let me know. Then she suddenly gasped. "You don't remember! I mean, you can't if you got from what I told Azalea, and think this is the second wand. How much do you remember? You completely changed after waking from the coma, and then again after the sorting, but you say you don't blame me. Please is that a lie? When you woke up you blamed me, and completely cut me out. You said you would never use the twin wand to me, and you snapped it. How did you fix it?

How the hell do I handle this! I knew none of this. "I don't remember blaming you. I only know this wand. I have only cast spells with it, to my knowledge. I could never imagine snapping it. I love my wand, and I love it is a twin wand to yours. I wish I could remember being with you when we got the wands. I wish I had happy memories of the two of us…

"You only remember that!" Daphne grabbed me tightly to her, and we were both crying. How the heck did she leap back to 'that'? I can't even say 'no I remember other things', because 'that' is about all I know enough to truly attempt to lie about knowing. I don't have any memories of Lilaea's life. If I am being honest I don't even know 'that'. I'm just guessing on 'that', and feeling really guilty about it the whole time it comes up.

"Don't tell Tracey." I finally croaked out between sobs.

"I won't, but Morgana how did you understand Auntie's note, and when we talked… You are doing the bleeding with the spell, yes?" Daphne suddenly shook me, after gazing in my eyes, and seeing I had no clue what she was talking about. "You silly, stupid, girl! I need you! I nearly went mad when they said you had died. While you were in your coma for seventeen months I bled you, so you wouldn't die! Wouldn't suffer from the Rosier curse on our Greengrass blood… Then you woke up, and blamed me. Snapped your wand, and said we weren't twins, but at least you were alive. At least you took care of the curse to not get sick, to not die!"

Daphne drew in a breath, and tried to calm herself. "Then when I, your sister, ask are you going to need to be reminded about your bleeding… And you just say 'sure don't worry, I'll do the bleeding'... When you have no clue what I am talking about. You lie to your own sister. Do you really think so little of me that you don't think you can trust me…

"No, that's not important! Take off your robe, and blouse. Do you have your athame on you, or shall we use mine?"

"I have mine," and I pulled it from its holster.

Daphne took it from me, and placed my wash bag back on the shelves. "Robe, and blouse, both off now!"

I took them off, and Daphne was inspecting my scars. "These must have been made on the morning before we caught the Hogwarts Express." She traces the newest ones that I have no recollection of. They don't line up with the scars I know I did when Mathew... "Two days missed. Morgana, why do you not look more sick! How the hell did you manage to eat lunch… You threw it all up, didn't you?

"Come on to the sink. I am going to do it now, tonight, and tomorrow morning. Sunday night I will begin to teach you the magic, but I don't know when… If ever… I will be with you when you bleed from now on…

Daphne once more took a deep breath to calm herself. She looked rather rattled. Tears were falling freely down her face that was haunted, scared… lost. I opened my mouth to apologize but she held the blade against my lips, like a mother placing a finger over her child's, while 'shushing' me.

"Ok, the bleeding spell; it is wandless, though it sort of is linked to the athame, and non verbal. Your athame is already attuned to work on your blood… Morgana, I am an idiot! When you tried to poke me with your athame for the wards, I should have realized."

* * *

It is so strange to be cut by someone else. I mean it is odd to begin with to be in a completely different body. Even more so when it is the opposite gender, but still has your familiar scars that you recall making. Remember the lines of blood running along the limb, dropping to the sink, bath tub or shower then trickling to the drain; watching the life, the pain, the misery, the hurt, all of it fall away, fade away, escape. It is really odd when after the initial blood starts to fall you feel something different. Beads of 'not blood', no that isn't what they are, they are blood, but it's not the usual bright red I've watched trace lines across the white porcelain canvas. I can feel the sickness, the age. They're too old, too big, and bloated. They come out with healthy blood beside them, but that's what Daphne is doing. She is trying to sift the chaff from the grains. The blood flowing becomes less bright, less red. It is not as dramatic a picture to watch. The contrast of bright red on pure white is not there. Life isn't bleeding into the sink. Death is; and just as Death stalks silent and invisible, the sick blood blends into the sink, it is the barely off white that is the death in the blood. That will kill by crowding out the healthy blood. They are removing energy as there are fewer healthy red blood cells to move oxygen, and remove carbon dioxide. They are removing the ability to seal a cut as the healthy cells needed to coagulate are being crowded out.

Daphne cuts me deeply twice in both arms. I watch the muted picture of death and pain blending into the canvas. Death from my unhealthy cursed blood, blending with the pain and loss of my sister's tears. Though muted it is far more powerful than the prior pictures I had painted. Mine had been cheap cries for help over trivial imagined wrongs. These were silent witness to suffering; and were priceless.

Daphne maximizes the bleeding of the unhealthy sickness, but after nearly fifteen minutes of bleeding. I most have lost at least a pint of blood. "I have to bleed that much twice a day?"

"No, just until you can barely feel the unhealthy blood. Sometimes I need a second cut. Usually one is enough. I won't do a third tonight on you, even if you need it. Losing too much blood at the same time is bad too. You're going to be tied. Also this doesn't solve your eating problems. I have to force myself to eat, and I consider myself lucky if I only throw up a fourth of what I managed to eat. Hey look at the bright side, we will never be fat." Daphne quickly tidied up the bathroom, and I put my clothes back on. She handed me my cleaned Athame and I reholstered it.

"Now let me fix your hair again. I mean apparently I have to pay my mercenary sister to get her to tell me the truth." Daphne said, but her smile took a little of the sting from her barb out. She had tears in her eyes that she valiantly tried to not weep any more, and I knew I had unintentionally hurt her so much. I was a louse.

After my hair was braided by my sister, and her apparently favorite blue silk ribbon tied into a bow at the braid's tail end, it was hung over my left shoulder. We both rinsed the redness out of our faces and shared my towel to dry them. We were giggling and hugging each other as we head back to my dorm room, and the other two.

* * *

We managed to get nearly two hours of potion studying in, prior to the first arrivals to learn how to transfigure the match to a needle. I was not too pleased to see both Malfoy and Zabini were in this group of likely the smartest first years. The third member was Bulstrode, so I guess the reason Parkinson fawns all over Malfoy when he was always looking elsewhere might be linked to her not being the smartest girl in Slytherin.

"So Miss Greengrass show me how it's done. I might consider you worthy a concubine contract if you are as smart as Professor Snape says. You are pretty enough even if you are damaged goods. Well why are you not here already?"

"Get out! If you grovel on bended knee, saying you know as a pathetic lowly Malfoy you are unworthy of being tutored by me. I might reconsider teaching you but I highly doubt it. Know you will never have a Greengrass as a friend let alone anything more that your sick depraved mind thinks it is owed. You are lower than a worm, and not worth my time."

"When my Father hears… Greengrass already suffers one blood feud. Maybe it is time to add a second."

"Malfoy come with me! Greengrass he will return and apologize for his lack of manners but it will not be on his knees. The Malfoy family would be a good ally for house Greengrass, and as such I think you should think about apologizing too. Of course his vile words could have leant to your moment of loss in decorum." Snape dropped his disillusionment charm and halted the argument. Then he swept Malfoy out of the room.

"Lilaea, I am certain that I am the heiress of house Greengrass, are you really going to challenge me and talk on behalf of my house, in front of me. You will apologize for your unkind words after he apologizes for his appalling lack of manners. Sister we are Slytherins, grow up and act like it."

Daphne turned to smile at the two witnesses to the spat, and smiled with charm. "Now Miss Bulstrode, why don't you, my sister, and Miss Davis work on the transfiguration here, while Miss Potter and I go over to the desk beside Mister Zabini, Mister Zabini?"

"I would be delighted with the presence of Heiress Greengrass and Miss Potter. I apologize if yesterday morning's request of your presence Miss Greengrass made you think me as uncouth as the cad Malfoy." Zabini replied and pulled two seats for the ladies to join him.

"I apologize for my words yesterday, Mister Zabini. By associating you with other boys and men that I hold low opinion of, I did you a disservice." I replied wishing I didn't have to apologize when I was fairly sure Zabini fully deserved my words, and was exactly what I had just said I mistook him for. At least it would let him know I wouldn't suffer such an approach, and enabled me to hint that I held all males with absolutely no interest so would never be willing to be approached in that manner by one. Merlin but the pureblood crap bit. I wanted to be able to call everyone by their last name, which though meant you looked down on them, was the most rude you could be and not suffer a blood feud from another pureblood house. I then took a seat at the table Bulstrode and Tracey were sitting at.

After ten minutes I was smiling. Millicent, who had given us permission to use her first name nearly right away, had a wicked sense of humor. Though not in Azalea's league I knew she was gifted in Transfiguration too. She had three older brothers and had been worried she might not get to attend Hogwarts. A large number of her friends learnt from hedge witches or magi. Apparently boys had to attend a school like Hogwarts and pass at least three OWLs to be a wizard. Girls the same to be witches. If taught by a hedge witch or magus then you could only sit SHAMs (Standard for Hedge witches And Magi tests) and regardless of how well you did or the number obtained you were not a witch or a wizard. You were above a squib at least. In fact a hedge witch with twelve SHAMs all outstanding was the same level as a witch that attended Hogwarts and failed all OWLs at Troll. The former would only be better at getting others to pay to tutor their kids. They would have the same social standing.

Millicent had just cast the spell correctly, and as soon as Tracey and I had congratulated her, she stood up and raced to the back of the class and back. "Yes! I am the first mortal to transfigure the needle!" Millicent yelled having obviously confirmed Zabini hadn't succeeded yet. She then grabbed three matches and redid the spell three times to confirm she could do it comfortably.

"Millicent, do you want to study potions with us, while we wait for more first years to be ready to be tutored?" Tracey asked.

When Zabini had successfully cast it a few times he left, but Millicent stayed and the five of us continued with our potion revision.

* * *

"If Miss Bulstrode could leave, I have three more ready to work with you Miss Greengrass." Snape interrupted us while we were working on the sixth chapter of his potion text. He waited to escort Millicent out before leaving.

Malfoy followed him back in alone. I thought Snape had said there were three more ready? "I will witness the apologies between houses Malfoy and Greengrass before the other two students arrive." Snape said then indicated to Malfoy.

Malfoy closed the classroom door and looked at my sister. "Heiress Greengrass I humbly apologize for my slight against your house. Though the one I talked to, falsely acted as the head of your house, when she was not even the heiress of it, I should not have acted as the head of mine, when I am currently the Malfoy house heir, not head. The words were said in heat, and do not reflect the opinions of my Father, Lucious Malfoy, head of house Malfoy. In fact my Father wants a closer link between our houses. A concubine contract with Miss Greengrass would be beneficial to both out houses, and though the very same Miss Greengrass was the author of the slight against house Malfoy, I would magnanimously accept her still."

"Heir Malfoy, I was unaware that Astoria had slighted house Malfoy, and find it in extremely bad taste you would basely request to contract a nine year old girl as a concubine in the same breath you were supposedly offering me an apology. I must say that house Greengrass could never accept an apology that appears to require purchase with one of its daughters. I would recommend a stay of seven years from any brokered apology between our two houses before any offer of courting or betrothal, much less lowly concubine contracts, is allowed to be mentioned, let alone occur." Daphne declared. It would seem I needed a hell of a lot more tutoring from Azalea on the pureblood nonsense.

"That is not…" Malfoy's face was so red it looked he was about to blow up. "You know which Greengrass daughter insulted house Malfoy!"

"Heir Malfoy, I strongly recommend you leave, and sleep a night before talking with me further. You just broke every social rule by failing to address me, and actually yelled with complete absence of social decorum when supposedly offering apology. If you repeat so on the 'morrow then the current none negotiable moratorium of seven years, needed for any form of union between our two houses after a successfully brokered apology, must be increased. Good day to you heir Malfoy, and I hope tomorrow finds you with better manners.

* * *

3900+ words - pointless words removed - prior might as well follow


	13. Chapter 13

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

* * *

Chapter 13

Snape grabbed Malfoy by the arm, and dragged him from the classroom. Before I could start to laugh, Daphne was glaring at me and shaking her head. "It will likely be a while before Snape brings the other two first years. I wonder if we could find a prefect."

Looking at the odd outline of a person standing on one side of the room, that I knew to be a disillusioned figure I asked. "Miss Burke, could you drop your disillusionment charm, and see what my sister needs?" I had been fooled once by Snape suddenly showing up, so had paid attention of the third outline of a figure entering with the other two, this time. It was most likely the head girl.

Miss Burke disillusioned herself from where she stood against the far wall. "Heiress Greengrass."

I had to give it to my sister, she didn't bat an eyelid but just started talking to the head girl. "I need to take some time to update the head of house Greengrass on what has transpired, and will need Miss Greengrass with me. As there are currently only two others, could I leave Miss Davis, and Miss Potter with you to see to them? I and house Greengrass would be in your debt for this boon."

"Heiress Greengrass I am fine with such an arrangement. As after the ready two, the last two Slytherin first years will not be ready today, and house Greengrass will need apology from Heir Malfoy before any tutoring. I will lock up Miss Greengrass's classroom after your two friends cover for what she negotiated to do today." Miss Burke stated while smiling.

Starting to pick up some parchment, quills and ink I asked. "If we take supplies I have found a good private place in Hogwarts, where we could draft the letter?"

Daphne stared at me then nodded, and indicated me to show her.

"Miss Greengrass how did you know I was there?" Burke asked as I was about to pass her.

"I guessed."

"But you stared right at me."

"I'm lucky?" I offered, and left the classroom.

At the entrance to the stairs to bring us up to the dungeon level that our common room entrance was on, we passed Nott and Parkinson. So obviously it was Crabbe and Goyle who were still not yet ready. It was only a few more minutes and the two of us were alone outside the tapestry of dancing trolls.

While Daphne appeared close to the end of her patience, she still remained silent while I walked back and fro three time to get the door. She did startle when the door appeared, and looked positively surprised when we entered a copy of the mezzanine level of Hogwarts library.

"Obviously this is not the actual library as that one's entrance would have been closer to use to enter. Further, we are not allowed on this floor, and there should be some people in here right now. Are there two libraries at Hogwarts laid out the same way, with the books being accessible from either?"

"No I only know of one library. I bid you welcome sister, to the 'Room of Requirement'. It is a room that will become whatever you want it to be while pacing three times back and forth on the passageway outside, while thinking of your desire. It can also be made to exit wherever you want." I declared grandly.

"Could we use it to seek audience with Father, after meeting up with Auntie?"

"I don't know about that, I've only used it to exit to another part of Hogwarts castle, like into my wardrobe in my dorm room. It is only a one way exit though. We can only enter from the corridor outside. I might be able to keep a doorway open into somewhere else, and allow you to exit and then re-enter, but I would have to stay here and I am not sure if it would work. I wouldn't want you stuck with Auntie, and be expelled for leaving school."

"Fine then we will start writing the letter, and test this room's capabilities another time." Daphne said while pulling a seat out at a desk with a view of the black lake and forbidden forest. Suddenly turning back when she had been about to sit she asked. "Have you shown this room to Azalea?"

"No this is where I studied yesterday after stumbling upon it, and I wasn't with her when she apparently did her exploring the night before. You are the first I've shown it to." I was rewarded by a bright smile that reminded me that though she had just tied Malfoy up in verbal knots, she was only an eleven year old girl. Obviously subject to petty jealousy and all the other teen, and pre-teen angst.

"Lilaea, I need you to not talk, and listen. Now that I know there are huge holes in your memories, I must warn you to keep a firm lid on your temper. A rude word too much, could see you effectively sold off by Father. I can only protect you so much. You are not safe like myself, and heiress Bones. If Father somehow managed to sire a son from his sickly loins, with that jumped up strumpet, I, unlike heiress Bones would be as powerless as you.

"You can't even rely on Heiress Bones to save you. Even if she does actually have interest in you, she could still negotiate with Father to have you be concubine to the wizard she chooses to marry. If she truly is a witches' witch she might demand you give birth to the Bones children, or what if her chosen wizard wanted children with his own last name. Heiress Bones is in a strong position. Unlike you, she wouldn't be hurt by rumors, and her regent can't remove the headship of the Bones house from her. We both already have rumors that I as heiress am slightly shielded from. That means you have to be the perfect calm Slytherin. You must be several steps ahead of any conversation you enter into. Your rude words nearly gave Malfoy an opening to having a hold on you. You need to keep your private life, private. So stop publicly flirting with Bones."

Daphne sat down having run out of words, and I was left with ash in my mouth. Gulp, when she first had told me to stop talking with my fake yank accent, I should have followed my own thought advice to not speak in public until I had got rid of my accent. It was a nasty feeling to think you could say something that would cause you to lose your freedom, to lose control over your own life.

"Lils, I was never upset when in our play game you chose to be, Mathew Greengrass-Swanson, heir of the Greengrass and Swanson houses. I knew it was your solution to being the younger twin and powerless. Didn't you realize that the reason I chose the most common muggle surname was I would gladly not have this responsibility as long as we could hide in obscurity. I wish Father would just hurry up and die. He's been propping himself up at death's door for years. I have nightmares of his tart somehow giving birth to a Greengrass son."

Daphne grabbed hold of me and was openly crying. "We have already lived through one nightmare, caused by that bitch. If she…

I was barely hearing anything though. I was hearing less and less of the words spoken ever after she had said 'Mathew Swanson'. What are the odds? Why the hell would this made up person Lilaea, have that as her fantasy name? True she had it as part of some double barrel surname, but it was too bloody close. Was it to enable me to become this girl that had died, so that she would be written in with some link to my muggle life? Was a link to my life in a world where this was a story in books, a place where this was not real, needed to step across universes?

I was at the edge, and I was right. There was only madness here, and the edge was crumbling…

* * *

Darkness is not empty, even with nothing there. Nothing there and darkness is better. Nothing can't hurt me. Light makes me see you. I hate you! You can't be alone if I see you, and you can see the men. They always get what they want. Men just want to hurt me with… They swear at me, call me nasty names, and they laugh, and hit, and… They're doing it to you. Not me, not me, not me… I am alone! I am safe here. It is just me, and you. No I am alone, I said alone! Not you, not you…

Tap, tap, tap, what was that? I was safe, no I didn't know if I was safe. No, here I am safe? I know I am safe here, because I am always alone here, and being alone is safe. I think?

Whap! Merlin what was that it hurt, I thought I was safe here. Yes, if I ignore it then I am safe. If I ignore it, then it can't happen. This is the only safe place. They can't hurt me here! I can't feel them. Stop thinking of them, or they'll be back!

 _Someone is kneeling beside me, no I am kneeling and I cannot lose her again. Why the hell did she collapse, did I bleed you too late. If only I had been more smart. You tried to cut me with your own Athame and I was such an idiot. Why the hell didn't I notice? Morgana! Why won't you trust me, Lils? In my wild state I shake her. I'm hitting me. You're punching me and screaming and slapping and shaking and shouting… Lils are you here? Diane where are we?_

There is static like a radio station has slipped out of tune, and my head is pounding.

"God damn it Lilaea don't you fucking leave me again!"

I know that voice, who is Lilaea? Why am I getting wet? Why am I moving?

"Lils!" I was startled, shaken and suddenly saw Diane, no I am Diane, I mean I was, wasn't I? No it is Daphne who was Diane Smith, except when I am, and she is clinging to me. She was shaking me and crying. My leg hurt. I rubbed it, and noticed it was bright red.

"What happened to my leg?" I asked wondering why it was so sore.

"Merlin and Morgana, Lils, I am glad you came back."

"Daphne why do I feel sore all over, what happened to my leg, did I slam it into the wall or something?"

"I slapped it. I hit you just about everywhere. I lost it when you just collapsed, and I have been slapping, thumping, shaking and screaming at you. Don't you do this to me Lilaea. Promise me, don't you fucking leave me. You stupid cow! Why the hell did you not ask me about the bleeding? Why!"

"Can I get up Daph?"

"No I am going to bleed you, where is your athame and how do you change the room so we're in a large shower."

"Daphne, please let's concentrate on writing the letter I promise that I will try to not talk when angry, and will not fire off insults at anyone. Now can I get up, please?"

"I am bleeding you tonight. We were joined but you broke it and I lost it. I am sorry I beat you a lot. You're probably going to be covered in bruises. I was so angry, and mad at you. Why did you break it again?" Daphne was getting hysterical, and looked about to start hitting me again.

"Daphne I think I might have been with you. I was confused, and completely lost. I am scared I will lose me, if that connection thing happens. If it happens again I will try to stay calm, but I have no clue how I was suddenly in your mind, and while there it was as if I didn't have an identity, I couldn't feel where my mind was or should be. It was all just you. I don't know how it broke. I don't think I did it on purpose." I kept the lies to myself that if I knew how to break it then I would have broken it, and hope to never feel that again. The mind gestalt was far more Daphne that me, and I just knew I would be lost if I ever got stuck in that again. I think I was probably the one to break it in the first place. I really didn't want to ever have that happen again. Was Daphne crazy to actually want that?

Quickly thinking to change the subject I offered Daphne what I was willing to give. "Daphne, you can do the bleeding every night and morning for a week if you will just get off me, and get the letter written to Father."

"Fine but I am holding you to your promise, and you are sitting down while I write." Daphne said, and clung to me as she pulled me up, and kept hold of me all the way to getting me sat at the table.

I watched her as she set up the supplies, dipped the quill into the ink bottle and began writing, 'To Mr. Greengrass-Swanson, Head of Greengrass and Swanson houses…

Daphne had neat writing each letter was perfectly formed. The text flowed across the blank parchment in perfect alignment. The ink line correctly thickening and thinning in the exact same spots for each repeated letter as it had for the prior ones. There were no blots, mistakes or any mess. How many hours must she have practiced to perfect her penmanship?

Eventually her detailed summary of the events and what she had proposed were provided and she drew her cherry wand to set the parchment dry, ready to be mailed, and duplicated it. She then addressed an envelope to our Father, and the other to our Auntie. After writing a few words on another piece of parchment for Auntie, it along with one of the letters was folded into Auntie's envelope. "So we can exit straight to the owelry?" She asked while folding up Father's letter into the envelope addressed for him.

"Yes, just let me create the door." I thought of the needed exit, and a door appeared in the wall closest to us beside the window that looked out on the black lake. It looked like it would open to a four floor drop to the outside grounds, based on the view from the window that didn't show the other side of the door.

"So Daphne if we had been born twin boys, you not only wouldn't have to worry about losing being heir, but would be heir to two houses instead of one?"

"No, sister, if we were both born boys then I would neither have a sister nor a brother, well Astoria would be my half-sister, but not yours." I looked at her puzzled at what she was meaning. "Because, I am the eldest daughter with no son born, I am heir to the primary house of Greengrass. Father was the only son with two sisters and was heir to both houses, before becoming head to both, when Grandfather died. If we were both boys I would be heir to house Greengrass, and you would not be my brother, as you would be heir to house Swanson. Of course if Mum had lived until after the bitch was married to Father, as it was intended to be. Then Astoria would be heir to house Swanson, and you would have been my brother, a plain old title less, Mister Greengrass. Both of us then would have no half-sister."

As I went through the mental gymnastics of trying to work out the crazy pureblood system, Daphne opened the door and called two owls down to her hand. "Stay in the room keeping the door open and we will see if I can get back." Daphne stopped me from following her into the owelry.

After both of the owls left with their envelopes, Daphne closed the door. Moments later she re-opened the door and entered back in. "So when you exit the door vanishes?"

"Yes, I wanted to keep a way in from the back of my wardrobe in my dorm, but as soon as the door closed, it vanished." I informed her.

"Tempus." Daphne cast the time spell and the time 'five-forty-six' was displayed. "We should head to dinner and eat something, can you make a door near the great hall."

"Can I try something?" When she nodded I imagined opening a door to the corridor with the picture of a bowl of fruit containing the ticklish pear. Could I get it to open to a place I had not been, by thinking of a picture I had not seen? Opening the door I saw a few feet further down the hallway a picture of a bowl of fruit. "Daphne, stay there a moment, and think of keeping this door where it is."

I crossed and tickled the pear and it formed into a handle that allowed me to open a door into the kitchens. Turning back to an amused sister I walked back to the open door into the room of requirement, closed it, and when it stayed I re-opened it.

"Come on let's eat." When I turned back I saw the door to the kitchen had closed. There was just a painting once more. When we turned around after letting the door to the 'Room of Requirement' close it was to find that door was gone, there was only a solid wall where it used to be.

"Come on Daphne I'll let you tickle the pear this time. It provides a secret entrance to Hogwarts kitchens. The house elves will give us whatever we want to eat."

* * *

We had eaten as much as we were going to manage when Daphne pushed her plate back. "Okay sister, how many pictures did you tickle until you found this secret door?"

"Actually I was testing to see if I could form a door to somewhere I hadn't been. Azalea found it during her nightly examination of Hogwarts. When she told me I didn't think that it must mean she was going around tickling pictures." I felt turnabout was fair play for all the times Azalea had landed me in it. She would have to explain why she went around tickling pictures. "She had told me there was a picture of a bowl of fruit that when the pear was tickled provided access to the kitchens full of house elves. So I asked our room to provide a door to a corridor with said picture. We are going to have to look around until we find a part of Hogwarts that we know to get back to our dorms though."

"Good, so we know we can ask for a door to anywhere in Hogwarts, including places we haven't been before. Also, as long as someone stays in the room the door is not lost when closed. The person who stays in the room does not have to be the person that requested the door or room. They don't even need to know where the door is set to open." Daphne summarized the room of requirement's powers so far. We would have to wait until third year to prove it allows access to Hogsmead but I felt this was a good start. I have to appear to seem concerned that the person going might not be able to get back.

* * *

3400+ words - Well this should have completely twisted the story, and possibly answers partially some of the questions a guest reviewer left. As I stated in the summary this is going to be twisted - a slightly shorter chapter than usual but as I am just writing and not getting much in comments back from my few thousand readers I don't have too much feedback to care about I guess.


	14. Chapter 14

Wylde Twyned Furies - WTF

 _Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling_

* * *

Chapter 14

The weekend wrapped up well I thought, all things considered. All but one of my Slytherin peers could transfigure a match into a needle, and most appeared to do it easily. I found myself slowly feeling stronger. I was keeping most of my food down, and by allowing Daphne to alternate cutting me, twice then three times followed by twice again, during the three next visits of my now twice a day routine. I think I had a better relationship with my sister, but it was definitely not an easy or smooth one.

Malfoy had received a letter in Sunday's breakfast likely from his Father, and almost definitely not to his liking, as he used the flame charm to burn it, and scowled at Daphne, then ducked his head as if he had been slapped. I noted how no one suddenly descended from the staff table to take points or assign detention. He was the perfect gentleman when arriving to be tutored alone before lunch. Well also after one of the most pompous groveling apologies to Daphne I have witnessed.

I had on Sunday evening held the first two of my twelve detention sessions, and after an initial rocky time with the second years, got them to accept I was adequately knowledgeable in charms to be able to help them. The less said about my ten a.m. session Sunday morning with Pomfrey and dickhead, the better in my books. I wouldn't need to go to the hospital wing again 'till eight tomorrow evening, which is better than having it be before class, I guess. We were all ready for Monday's Potions class. I was nearly four weeks ahead in Transfiguration, and about two in front in DADA. My Oclumency I was very proud of, and I had read the first three chapters of a year four's Charms book. It's nice the Room of Requirement could provide it, well as long as I stay inside the room.

So having had a rather full weekend including an interrupted sleep monitoring Azalea last night, I was looking forward to Sunday's sleep. Of course as usually happens when you are tied, you have a hard time falling asleep.

I had been tossing, and intermittently nearly sleeping before sinking into a dream that just didn't seem to be a dream. I was hovering in a dimly lit room. There were five people sitting around a solid walnut table with a silver tray containing decanters of spirits in the center. The gas lanterns flickered along with the fire roaring in the hearth. A loud crash of a fallen chair had me return from examining the room, back to the occupants.

"Brother, between the two of us we only have seven." The first man said to the other man, whom had kicked his chair back from the head of the table and looked ready to storm out of the room.

"But what my wife and our aunt propose is preposterous. They could die, or lose their magic!"

"Let's sit back down, and not wake the children." The woman whom was sat at the end of the table stated. Trying to diffuse the situation before it became hostile. "This is our family magic, and it has worked before, and seven is a magically significant number."

"It is easy for you to say, none are your children!" The standing man yelled.

"They all are mine. I am their Great Aunt, and I love all of them. As the reading comes back again that this is it, we will lose power to one of the branch families, if we do not do anything."

"We could remove their claims." The standing man countered.

"Nephew, for the last three years we failed to remove one thorn. Now as of last week due to twins we have three thorns, and thus a far less likely chance of success. Further, it is inconclusive that other thorns could not arise while we attempt removing these three."

"Rather a thousand thorns that one of our…

"Nephew, that ship has sailed. We have two options. Take a risk and keep our power or give everything up. We already have three votes to take the risk…

"I am head of…

"Not without an heir you aren't, so do we start with eldest…

"No, and though my husband voted for, I didn't. We should take equal risk. An eldest from each couple should drink your potion first." The second woman sat on the side of the table beside the calm man declared.

"No, that way though we take the same risk, I have less chance of gain." The angry man retorted.

"Three is a magical number too. If three of the seven drink the potion then we have two arithmetically significant numbers." The third of the three women in the meeting of five offered. She was sat alone on her side of the table closest to the head with the upturned chair.

"It would be more likely for us to succeed if we had four of the seven drink, and then we still have three not drinking to provide the two significant numbers." The first woman counter-offered.

The second woman, whom was sitting beside the calmly sat man, spoke out angrily. "And who will decide which three or four we attempt this on. Just because I have three of the eldest four, does not mean I should take so much of the risk. I won't agree if you say that it is two of mine and only one of yours to make your damned three, or three of mine with one of yours for her bloody four."

"I will make seven potions, but only four will be active. I pour them into seven identical cups. The four of you pick to carry one or two to this room and place them on this tray. We invite the seven in and tell them they must each drink one potion. I have no way of knowing which will drink from which cup. At least one of the four drinking the active potion should provide us what we need.

"I think we should wait 'till our next house meeting. We should not be hasty in making this decision." The second woman stated.

"In a bit over three weeks the Hogwarts letters go out. Your eldest will be named, and we will then only have six left by waiting. So we will lose the powerful number seven." The third women pointed out. "However, I think we should only have three of the potions be active, as we want to harness the properties of three and seven, which by having three be the number of inactive potions would not happen as well."

"See you want it to be three, and while I have one more so I take twice the risk!" The second woman screamed at the third across the table from her.

"We could add the power of one to the ritual too. Thus have three numbers helping us, one, three, and seven. We would do that if Auntie, you made eight potions, with four being active. That Auntie, is the number you desire. We four each bring two potions, which is better for symmetry than what would occur with one of us only bringing one of the identical cups. We place them on this tray. We then get our seven children to choose one of the identical potions. This way one is left un-drunk, and of our seven children, three will drink a different potion to the others. It will be the children that determine by the cup they claim that none of us will have manipulated. So all three of you fine ladies will not need to argue. The children will unwittingly determine if it is three or four active potions, and who drinks what, not us" The calmly sitting man explained.

As is usual for dreams I slid from this into others. Most were too quick, and faded before I could get a clear image to know what they were of, or what was happening. A lot where I knew I was weak and powerless and was, or would be soon hurt. Then the random images and feelings bled into one. One of being bled, but the blood is brown. "See she isn't a pureblood, look at the mud in her veins. Mudblood!" There is a crowd and they're all chanting the word 'Mudblood' then it is changed and the whole crowd takes up the new chant and I am being hit, thumped, kicked, and spat on. 'Mudblood Whore! Mudblood Whore! Mudblood….

…. A wonderful lyrical voice full of whimsical wonder pulls me into captured darkness tinted in silver's waxing sight. Far away from the nightmare. "Hey, 'shh' it's okay this is the third time. Three is a good number with magic, and the three of us all will know this time. You just have to wait, and we will be together all three of us. One for all, and all for one!"

"But, there was always a fourth with the three musketeers." I called out, but I knew I had lost the voice, lost something... Finally, carried on the silver beams I heard the whimsical voice that tugged me so, from far away. "We are always four, the three of us, eventually... only when and before the moment arrives and has gone… We two that died and one of the turned that to lies… Three that are four, both all and none of the time. Four even without the fourth that survived, was tricked, lost, and one of us refused to accept back at their side."

I awoke from the dreams my imagination cooked up thanks to the trauma I had experienced and the lack of a good sleep schedule. My bed was drenched from sweat. I hoped I wasn't catching the flu or worse one of the wizard diseases I hadn't been vaccinated against. Grabbing my wand from beneath the pillow I cast the tempus charm and saw it was nearly twenty to six. I figured I might as well get up.

Stripping the sheets from the bed and placing them and pillow case, with my night clothes on the floor, I folded the blankets, grabbed my robe, towel and wash bag, and headed for a shower.

I had pulled on my robe and just started to dry my hair with my wand, when Daphne entered the bathroom. "Didn't expect to see you to up so early. Can I do your hair before you dry it too much?"

"Uhm, sure?" I cut off the charm, and holstered my wand.

"Do you 'trust' me?"

Daphne spoke with a weird emphasis on the word trust that had alarm bells ringing. "Until you just asked I did. What are you planning to do to my hair?" I was concerned.

"I am not going to tell you. I decided last night that we are going to fix your lack of trust in me. So I might cut it short and in a crazy mess, colour it green, or shave you bald. You are going to sit on my bed so you can't see any mirror, nor get clues from the mirrors on what I am doing. So you already said I could do your hair. If you trust me lets head to my dorm."

The only glimmer of hope that I wouldn't regret following was that she said this was to fix my trust in her. "Sure I trust you, let's go." I said with confidence I didn't feel.

I was sitting on the edge of Daphne's bed and started to turn around as my sister walked around the bed end. "Uh, Uh! Turn back and face ahead, and no sneaking looks over here. In fact close your eyes 'till I say you can open them."

I heard noises that were likely my sister rummaging in her trunk, wardrobe and drawers. Eventually I felt my sister pulling and separating my hair on the right side of my head. It felt like she was braiding but considering she was starting near my ear and my hair appeared pulled tight against the scalp I wasn't sure what she was doing. I figured as long as she wasn't gluing my hair it wouldn't be permanent, hopefully.

I was bored of sitting still when she finally announced she was finished, and I could see it while she bled me this morning. We got another complaint from Tracey to be quiet, and giggling left the dorm. I made a detour into mine to get my athame and school uniform. I also looked in my vanity mirror. Well it was braided, but somehow right up against my skull, two thin twisted braids on each side that hopefully weren't glued onto my head. There were blue bells, baby's breath, and a string of shiny white tiny beads braided in with the hair somehow. It looked like a piece of art rather than a hair style. Each of the mini braids carried on, so I had four braided tails, slightly shorter due to the braiding starting right after my bangs that still fell forward to touch my blond eyebrows.

Getting back to the bathroom I found Parkinson and Millicent finishing up. So after a grunted and smiling greeting exchange I talked with Daphne until they left before taking my robe off for bleeding. I was pleasantly surprised that it only needed two cuts this morning, and I did most of the sifting on the second cut that I stopped earlier than the first, once I couldn't drag any more sick cells to the wound. It would seem I had got rid of the buildup that occurred from missing a couple of days.

Daphne again only needed one cut which did make me jealous. I nearly giggled at the irony that now I had to cut to live I wanted to do it as little as possible. Where I had done it before whenever I was too upset in my other lifetime.

* * *

I exited the loo stall in the bathroom that was on the way to our Transfiguration classroom to see Daphne at the sinks. As I made my way over she cast the breath freshener charm on herself just prior to me doing the same for my breath. Unfortunately, I hadn't done as well with the fruit I'd managed to force myself to eat for breakfast, as I had done with dinner last night.

Swinging my head enjoying my quad tails whipping around I enjoyed a moment's distraction before checking my face and clothes were clean. I was going to have a busy day today. We only had second period free on Mondays. It was the one day we didn't have DADA which was about the only good news on the day. We had History as the last period after double Potions, and our first Herbolgy class in the third period prior to Charms that we had every day in fourth period except Tuesdays when fourth period was a free.

Judging how we had two double Potions class, and four single classes a week for Charms, Transfiguration, and DADA I felt it showed that they were at least more important than History and Astronomy that had three single periods, and one double period respectively. I was unsure about the two single and one double Herbology class a week. I would have expected it to just be one double and one single based on how I didn't think it was as important. I hoped I wasn't going to stumble into an important class unprepared. I was planning on using my second period and the break as the time to get ready for it.

I figured that the two single classes of Herbology scheduled in third period on Monday and Wednesdays would prepare for the first real class that was the double right after lunch on Thursdays. So was confident I had plenty of time to prepare prior to the lab time, and what I considered the only true class of Herbology a week.

After Mondays, Thursdays would be my next worst day. Just like today we only had a single free. It was during the seventh, last period instead of the second that was free every other day of the week. Unfortunately, double Potions in the day's first two periods after a late Wednesday night double astronomy class would be the killer. DADA, Charms and Double Herbology ended out Thursday.

Picking up my book bag having spent enough time wool gathering I headed on to facing McGonagall, and hopefully seeing the points I had orchestrated Slytherin getting, actually come into fruition. I smirked, yes things could have gone better, but they could have gone a hell of a lot worse. I was in a good position, and seemed to have a good foundation on magic. It was only the beginning of my second day of magic lessons too.

* * *

"Miss Greengrass, I have been informed that you spent the evening after the welcoming and sorting feast preparing Miss Potter for Transfiguration. Hence why she was able to immediately transfer the match into the needle in Friday's class, as she had already done it. Why did you not say something during Friday's class?"

"Professor McGonagall I made an erroneous assumption, I am sorry for doing so." I replied.

"Your response avoids answering the question. Could you answer completely why you did not say anything?"

"Well I know that there is a sort of rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and that you are head of Gryffindor house. Because of this I thought incorrectly that you were biased against Slytherin. For that reason I was thankful Miss Potter had not lost us any points and thought that if I interrupted I could make the situation worse. I chose instead to pretend I couldn't transfigure the match, and keep quite. I apologies to you for thinking this, and to Miss Potter for not coming to her aid."

"No, Miss Greengrass it is I who should apologize to the whole class especially, Miss Potter for telling her off, rather than finding out if she had been taught the theory already. I want to encourage students to learn. Putting in your own time should be rewarded, and I don't want students holding back their talent in fear of me. Could you transfigure this match for me?" McGonagall placed a match in front of me on the desk.

Concentrating on the theory and forcing may magic to behave I deliberately said the spell while casting it with my wand.

"Ten points to Slytherin Miss Greengrass, for a perfectly cast spell, and twenty to Miss Potter for successfully casting it on Friday and not making a fuss when I erroneously told you off." Professor McGonagall declared. "Now I will award ten points to any other student that could have cast the spell last Friday, but due to the words I used against Miss Potter pretended they couldn't. Please raise your arm if you could have cast it last Friday."

Except for Crabbe, the rest of the Slytherin first years held up their arms. "Oy, are we supposed to believe every Slytherin could cast the bloody spell last Friday!" Ron yelled.

"Language Mister Weasley and you just lost five points. I had Professor Snape be bound on his word's honor that all of the Slytherin faculty and prefects would not encourage training over the weekend to increase the number of Slytherins casting the spell correctly this morning above those that would have done it on Friday, if I hadn't encouraged them to pretend they couldn't. I will never mind giving points to a student that are putting in an effort to learn, and never want students to think they should hold back in fear of punishment."

Slytherin was awarded another eighty points, admittedly Goyle's needle was not perfect and I think McGonagall was suspicious that he had been able cast the spell on Friday. It helped that as she was standing beside my desk she started from the second row back, so Parkinson and Goyle were in the last group of three to show they knew the spell.

"While the rest of the class works on transfiguring their matches, the ten of you can start to reverse the transfiguration." Professor McGonagall began, then seeing eight of us instantly reverse the transfiguration she was flustered, awarded another five points each to the eight of us, and asked us to start reading about Tower's exception for the rest of the class. I think she might have pulled out a random reading assignment, as it was in the sixteenth chapter of the book and didn't seem relevant to anything I had read so far.

"Professor McGonagall, do you have a few minutes?" Azalea called out as the rest of the class was leaving. She had indicated to me that she wanted me to stay behind and I was wandering what she wanted. I didn't want to suddenly be asked if I had been tutoring the Slytherins so they could lie about knowing the transfiguration last Friday. No, I wanted to get out of here while ahead.

"Miss Potter, I have the other two houses of you form, in a few minutes. So I can only give you three minutes."

"That will work. We know that you are an animagus…

"Potter, Greengrass, no matter how gifted in transfiguration you both are I will not allow the two of you trying to become animagus…"

"No Professor that is not what we were going to ask. Look you know what happened to my friend and her sister. We are afraid of an animagus that is able to look like a normal mail owl getting close to us. Or any animal suddenly becoming a witch or wizard, and…

"You are both perfectly safe at Hogwarts. Nothing can…

"Professor McGonagall I would feel safer if I knew a spell that could instantly identify the animal was what it appeared, and not an animagus. Are there spells to identify and force them back into human form?" I interrupted her, playing up for sympathy based on what my sister had, and everyone thought I too had undergone. I had forgotten about this, in all the things going on but obviously Azalea hadn't.

"I assure you, both of you are perfectly safe at Hogwarts. Now I have a class. You do not need to worry about this. Now get along to your next class."

As we walked to the stairs we needed to head to the library we saw a few Ravenclaw first years obviously intent on getting to Transfiguration early, Luckily by not passing the Hufflepuffs I could dodge Susan until History our only shared class of the day, which on Mondays was the last period. "You want to visit the kitchens for lunch today?"

"I still can't believe you set me up as finding that on my evening exploration we both know I didn't do." Azalea replied.

"I was glad to finally make you see what it is like to be accused of something you hadn't done. I think you should have accepted the ridicule of tickling random portraits until you stumbled on the pear though."

"That is why I am a full marauder and you only a pledge. Even when thrown in with no warning a marauder knows to make their lies make them cool and intelligent, verses yours that most often make you look embarrassing. Why wouldn't I say that asked a kind knight in one of the portraits where I could find the kitchens as I was sure to swoon from the day's sweltering heat?"

"It was supposedly the middle of the night. Also if you really had done that you would be lucky to not have the staff informed or only getting directions to the medical wing." I critiqued.

"Not if as I said, I used Sir Cadogan. I must introduce you to him. His portrait is near the end of the divination corridor. Great chap, loves a quest, and rather forgetful so he can't deny he gave information if someone later checks."

"I already met him thanks to your slashing of the fat ladies portrait in third year. He was the most annoying portrait to have as our common room entrance guard. He was usually off on a quest or meeting other knights. He made it an absolute nightmare to get to the dorms some nights." I cleverly jumped in to prove I knew Sir Cadogan then noticed the odd look Sirius was giving me. The suddenly realized I had sounded as if i was in Gryffindor.

"Luna and I spent more time sleeping in Gryffindor dorms than our own to avoid the bullying in Ravenclaw tower." I said to cover my mistake. Now as long as he hadn't noticed me accidently calling myself a third year I had covered my slip.

"Any way I think I have done enough to be a full Marauder." My offense is the best defense gets pulled out to be used once more.

"Nope you're a Pledge. You haven't got your animal yet."

"Neither have you until winter after that body is fourteen." I riposted. Surprisingly tucked into the foot notes of the third chapter of our transfiguration text book I had discovered a few rules that didn't have exception. One was that no witch could become an animagus before the winter solstice after their fourteenth birthday, and no wizard before the summer solstice after same year's birthday. I had pondered how many witches or wizards had to either die or become lost in their animal until they could state an exact day. It was as all magical theory laws were, completely illogical to be known so completely.

I mean why the different solstice for a witch verses a wizard. My real annoyance was that as Daphne and myself were apparently born on bloody February the twenty-ninth of nineteen-eighty, what are the odds of getting that odd birthday, I had to wait 'till nearly fifteen to work on becoming an animagus. I wouldn't get a leg up and capitalize on Sirius that had come out even in the birthday and gender exchange. For as a witch if he kept his November third birthday he would have been able to become an animagus once more in a month, thus earlier than when he was a wizard, and had to wait 'till the following summer. However, now a witch his new birthday of July meant having to wait 'till the same winter solstice as I as a witch required. So one change delayed, but the other brought it back to just a bit less than he had to wait initially.

When you add in he had already done this before, and I couldn't start practicing until the same day she could the end result is she will be the youngest animagus ever if she registers, and I'll be lucky to get it before sixteen. I was allowed to meditate and work on finding out my inner animal, but she already knew hers.

"Actually the grim is Sirius's inner animal, you might not be Padfoot any more Azalea. So you would then be a pledge too by that logic."

"Until proven otherwise I am the marauder Padfoot and you are a pledge. Also your idea to get the two spells from McGonagall didn't work."

"We have planted the seed, so they when we later cast the spell, they know we were looking and when we use it, we must have found it." I replied.

"Both spells are in a book that James brought to school. If it is available in the library it is in the restricted section. We are still left with no answer on how we found the spells." Azalea complained.

"Well we get the book from Diagon alley."

"Flourish and Blotts are not going to sell the book to us even if they have it."

"Azalea you said you were going to teach me to be an animagus so you most know enough of the book and the spells to use a dict-a-quill and parchment to make a paraphrased copy of the book that is not done in your own handwriting."

"But that will take months…

"Best you get started on the project then, Azalea." I interrupted. I did a mental fist salute for finally getting a point against a marauder.

* * *

The rest of the day passed well. We got homework from Potions, Herbology and Charms. I guess the reason for Charms again was because we didn't have Charms tomorrow. It will suck if we get assigned homework from every class. Potions class was not the problem I had been worried about. Snape enjoyed humiliating the Gryffs. He would ask questions of Dean and Ronald, taking points when they didn't know. He ignored Granger's hand that was wafting to be asked. He terrorized Neville, which was probably mean and ridiculed Lavender, for her squeamish attitude to handling potion ingredients. Thankfully it was Daphne and Malfoy that he asked most questions from to give points to Slytherin and show the Gryffidors what he expected from them. He did ask me two, and Azalea one, and all the questions asked of any student were in the first seven chapters or the books referenced in those chapters.

I had already talked with Daphne and Tracey about how we would handle the 'puffs in our History class. So as they entered the class, I kept Susan back.

"Susan we are not having a repeat of our last History class. In public we will behave. If you don't embarrass me then after class I will show you a fantastic room that I found last Friday afternoon. All seven of us will go there together and we will have a chance to talk."

"I would be happy with just you and a broom closet."

"That will not happen. Thanks mainly to your behavior to me, Malfoy nearly got the initiating of a concubine contract on me. I am not an heiress and protected like you are. There must be no public impropriety or we are through before even starting. Do you agree?"

"How about in private?"

"Susan, initially we will be chaperoned. When I am no longer under public scrutiny and based on what we find out as we get to know each other, then potentially private times could occur at a later date. I am currently offering you friendship. Also between Azalea and I, we can share most of the secrets of Hogwarts. The room of requirement that we plan to go to, is a room that can become whatever you want it to be. So Susan, will you be my friend?" I held out my hand, hopefully.

* * *

5200+ words

 **Authors Note**

To the three guest reviewers and Frozenwave - thank you so much for reviewing - people like you are the only reason writers post their stories and keep on posting and continuing writing.

I would like to ease the concerns of the last guest reviewer as you took the time to bring them to my attention for which I can not thank you enough.

1/ Sirius/Azalea and Mathew/Lilaea will end up the same gender as they were born - Michael was barely in the story he is Mathew's older brother and hasn't been in the story since chapter one so I am confused on your comment on him unless you meant Mathew, but don't want to assume incorrectly.

2/ As seen in this chapter lies have the potential to be caught when least expected - Earlier Daphne worked out Lilaea was faking memories with the whole mistake on which was the second wand - We don't know if Sirius has picked up any inconsistencies as the story is in first person Mathew/Lilaea's point of view. The only thing is with enough lies a liar is caught.

3/ The blood disorder - this is canon there is according to J. K. Rowling an ancestor of the Greengrass family that was cursed with a blood malediction that can be inherited and causes extreme frailty, and can cause death. Astoria dies at 37, it is unknown if Daphne also suffered. In my fiction I have decided that the curse came about or was the cause of blood feud between the houses Rosier and Greengrass. As I lost my young spouse to Leukemia I chose to write this story in their memory and chose this to be central to my story for this reason. I can only say that the only way to resolve this is by resolving the Rosier and Greengrass blood feud.

I hope this authors note eases your concerns.

-eUSc-


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